PetHobbyist.com Site Blog - Gulf Oil Spill Wildlife Disaster

Summarizing the Gulf oil spill response

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:06:14 -0500

As the rescue of oiled birds winds down in the Gulf region, the International Bird Rescue Research Center reports on their efforts to save these birds.

As of late September 2010, at least 1,235 healthy cleaned birds were returned to the wild. Most of the birds captured alive and collected dead were from Louisiana. The species included Brown Pelicans, Northern Gannets, Laughing Gulls and Roseate Spoonbills.

To read the entire report, click here.

Experts offer suggestions to save wildlife habitat in Gulf

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:43:55 -0500

Since the oil spill has been stopped, attention turns to ways to restore habitat and to bring back the wildlife that has been so devastated. On the Audubon blog, several experts provide their opinions:

Five months after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank, unleashing an unprecedented amount of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the well is dead. Permanently plugging BPs well proved to be an incredible feat of engineering, but now comes the really hard part: restoring damaged habitat and protecting the wildlife that depend on it. We asked experts, from environmentalists and scientists to government agencies and legislators, what the most important next steps are. Heres what they have to say:

Article continues here.

Search continues for oiled birds

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:43:53 -0500

Although news from the Gulf oil spill has been more infrequent than at the beginning, wildlife officials are looking for birds that need help. The Daily Comet in Thibodaux, LA, reports:

Scientists are expecting a spike in the number of dead birds recovered amid the Gulf oil spill as they begin this week searching large nesting colonies in places such as Terrebonnes Raccoon and Whiskey islands, which had previously been off limits.

Scouring the islands will take about two weeks, officials said.

Scientists have avoided disturbing the rookeries, which often pack thousands on nesting birds on a single island.

Rhonda Murgatroyd, owner of Wildlife Response Services, which has contracted with BP for the bird-rehabilitation and recovery efforts, said scientists had chosen not to go after oiled birds they had spotted in rookeries because they didnt want to risk disturbing healthy nesting birds and their young.

To read the entire article, click here.

Michigan's oiled turtles have a hero on their side

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:02:00 -0500

The folks in Eaton, Mich., love animals and they are taking steps to show even normal people can become extraordinary heroes.

Going above and beyond their normal daily lives, they are taking steps to ensure the wildlife affected by the oil spill gets cleaned up and a second chance. From the Lansing State Journal:

Then there's the woman known as the "Turtle Rehabber," Kay Frasher. Frasher, who works as a vet tech at the Holt Veterinarian Clinic, is licensed as an animal rehabilitator and specializes in turtles native to Michigan.

"Anytime we get turtles, they go to Kay," Sagaert said. Frasher says cleaning a turtle with Dawn liquid detergent, using cotton tipped swabs for the creases in its neck and legs, can take from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on how tarry it is. It's painstaking work that often involves a few bites, especially in the attempt to grab the turtle's head in order to clean its neck.

Frasher, though, isn't complaining. "I've really been amazed to see this come together in such a short time," she said of the large rescue site in Marshall. "I'm honored to have been called and to be here." There are countless examples of loving dedication every day at the rescue site.

To read the tales of all the rescuers, click here.

Update from bird rescuers

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:57:31 -0500

Jay Holcomb, the director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center, updated the progress of rehabilitating the hundreds of oiled birds. Amazingly, the center is still receiving oiled birds, despite the capping of the oil well. In his blog, Holcomb writes:

This past week we released more than 150 clean birds after successful rehabilitation at the ongoing Gulf Oil Spill bird rescue. They were returned to the wild on Rabbit Island, another clean bird nesting island in western Louisiana.

We've had a fair amount of storm activity in the last few weeks and have had to schedule bird releases around heavy wind and rain. Thats unfortunate for us but will not impact the birds who can wait a few extra days before they return to the wild. We have made the best use of that time by providing live fish for them to eat so the young pelicans can continue to play and develop hunting skills as they plunge feed and chase live minnows in their pools.

Why are we still getting oiled birds?

While the number of oiled birds has slowed down tremendously, and especially in the last month, we are still receiving fledgling pelicans, gulls and terns. These fledgling birds became oiled while they were playing and bathing in the puddles in the inland areas or on the shorelines of small islands. In July a strong storm surge pushed oil onto some of the nesting islands in the Grande Isle area. These islands are primarily made up of sand, gravel and shell and the highest elevations are typically no more than 4 feet high.

To read the remainder of the blog, click here.

Update on Michigan oil spill

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:22:00 -0500

Clean-up from the oil spill continues in Michigan, and even though news coverage has faded away, Fort Worth Zoo is still bringing in daily loads of animals which need care.

We have an upcoming interview with one of the rehabbers on the scene, but in the meantime, here's a quick follow up from FWDailynews.com:

The turtles need a lot of help. Many of the turtles are covered in black, gooey oil residue, says Smith. It can take hours to clean a single turtle.

After undergoing required training and donning protective Tyvek clothing, masks, and booties to avoid contact with the toxic oil residue, the zoo keepers begin the meticulous task of removing the thick layer of oil coating each turtle. Using gauze, swabs, and disposable towels, they gradually remove the tarry oil from every bit of a turtles body.

Its very tedious work, says Smith. So far, about 370 turtles have been brought to the site for cleaning and rehabilitation. Nearly 150 turtles have been released into the Kalamazoo River upstream of the spill. Map turtles, painted turtles, softshell turtles and snapping turtles are among the species rescued.

To read the full article, click here.

Wild and free again

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:46:23 -0500

From the beginning of the oil spill crisis, the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), has been involved in rescue, rehabilitation, and release of oiled birds (and other species of animals). On their Website, they report their latest activities on behalf of the birds:

Today (Friday) we released 78 birds including the last spoonbills and over 50 laughing gull chicks. Tomorrow another 40 plus fledgling pelicans are being released. We received news that one of the adult pelicans that was released in Georgia, July 1 (red plastic band # 29C) was just seen at the Empire Marina in Buras on Aug 25.

To see more pictures of the released birds, click here.

Oil spill effects not over

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:55:26 -0500

In an appalling discovery, a group of Louisiana wildlife activists found many dead birds on an island off the coast of Louisiana. The damage to wildlife will continue indefinitely. In "Dead Bird Island" Discovered in Gulf, Animal Planet reports on their Website:

The Louisiana Environmental Action Network is reporting dozens of dead sea birds on an island off the Louisiana coast. The group was out collecting sediment samples in their effort to monitor and understand the impacts of the BP oil spill disaster when they made the discovery. The bird carcasses ranged from completely decomposed to freshly dead, indicating that whatever is killing them is ongoing.

As with other dead wildlife found in the Gulf, further investigation will need to be done to determine whether or not the deaths are the result, directly or indirectly, of the oil spill. In light of the magnitude of this disaster, however, all dead or dying wildlife in the region should be considered potential casualties of the spill.

Article continues here.

Oil in Gulf has gone underground

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:32:45 -0500

Despite official pronouncements that most of the oil has disappeared, scientists have discovered the opposite is true. In Massive oil plume discovered in the Gulf, the journal Science reports:

Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have detected a plume of hydrocarbons that is at least 22 miles long and more than 3,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, reports a study published in Science.

The 1.2-mile-wide, 650-foot-high plume of trapped hydrocarbons provides a clue on where all the oil has gone as oil slicks on the surface disappear.

"These results indicate that efforts to book keep where the oil went must now include this plume," said Christopher Reddy, a WHOI marine geochemist and oil spill expert and one of the authors of the study, in a statement.

Article continues here.

Another successful turtle release

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:58:17 -0500

In First oiled turtles released in Gulf after rehab, AP reports on the release of 22 turtles. May they "live long and prosper"!

The first rehabilitated turtles oiled by BP's massive leak were released back into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, with scientists saying that animals taken in by rescuersincluding birdsappear more resilient than first feared.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is overseeing the oil crisis for the government, helped release the 22 oiled sea turtles about a mile off the coast of Cedar Key, Fla., an area unaffected by the spilled crude. They were the first oiled turtles found in the Gulf and rehabilitated.

"I think it's emblematic of us starting to look forward in the recovery," Allen said, smiling as he released some of the turtles. "This is a very pristine environment. This is their natural habitat."

Even though oil spill rescue crews have brought more sea turtles and birds to shore in the month since BP capped its broken well than the previous month, wildlife officials said both kinds of animals have suffered less damage than originally projected.

Article continues here.

Smithsonian catalogs life before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:25:53 -0500

As research into the Gulf oil spill continues, scientists will turn to the Smithsonian for help in assessing the damage to the Gulf. The Smithsonian has previously catalogued thousands of specimens from the Gulf. These data will be used to determine how the Gulf has been affected by the spill.
NPR reports:

It'll take years to fully know the effects of the BP oil spill on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. One thing we do know now is what that wildlife was like before the 206 million gallons of oil spewed into the water. For that knowledge, we have the Smithsonian Institution to thank.

The Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center is an anonymous beige warehouse complex just outside Washington, D.C. It doesn't look like anything special until you get inside.

These buildings house all the things that don't fit into the museums on the National Mall, in endless rows of jars and bottles and boxes. Among them is the world's largest collection of invertebrates from the Gulf of Mexico, all floating in 150-proof alcohol. It's a pretty comprehensive snapshot of life before the spill.

Article continues here.

Evaluating the oil spill damage

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:18:51 -0500

Although the oil well has been capped, work is just beginning on assessing the damage to the environment and wildlife. While beaches can be cleaned, no one can undo the destruction to the animals that depend on the Gulf for their livelihood. In With oil well capped, scientists begin assessing spill's environmental toll, The Mobile Press-Register reports:

With the Deepwater Horizon well capped, federal officials have turned their energies toward holding BP accountable for the environmental damage caused by hundreds of millions of gallons of oil loosed into the Gulf.

An army of federal scientists 300 strong is focused on the area surrounding Mobile. Hundreds more work in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The goal is to create an official reckoning of the environmental toll, from the most obvious3,761 dead birds and counting, according to BPto losses so subtle that no one is even sure how to measure them. How, for instance, do you attach a dollar sign to trillions of dead planktonic organisms that can be identified only with a microscope?

Article continues here.

Trouble for migratory birds

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:56:14 -0500

The Gulf oil spill will continue to affect birds throughout the remainder of this year and into the years ahead. Despite heroic efforts to establish habitats away from the Gulf, migratory birds might head straight for that troubled habitat. In their video, Gulf Spill Still Threatens Millions of Migrating Birds, The National Geographic Society describes the problems that birds face during their migration:

Up to a billion migrating birds stop over in the Gulf of Mexico region on their annual treks southward. Despite BP's capping of the Deepwater Horizon leak, scientists say the birds may face ill effects from the Gulf oil spill for years to come.

With the potential collapse of Gulf food webs, one scientist says, starvation "will be the biggest problem in the long term, I think."

To see the video, click here.

Busy week for bird rescuers

nospam@example.com (Gail McMahon) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:48:01 -0500

Releasing healthy birds is the goal of these busy rehabilitators at the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Hammond, LA. In the latest release yesterday, more than 60 birds returned to the wild. These small victories in the midst of the countrys worst oil spill crisis bring joy to all nature and bird lovers! Read the story in 62 clean, healthy Gulf oil spill birds released.

It has been a tremendously rewarding week for us oiled bird carers at the Hammond, Louisiana bird care facility. In the last seven days we have released 197 clean, healthy birds back to the wild. At 2:00 AM this morning, 62 healthy birds were loaded into carriers and transported to the Atchafalaya State Wildlife Refuge for release. See photo, above, of Roseate Spoonbill being released.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries personnel released the rehabilitated birds including Roseate Spoonbills, Skimmers, Gulls, and Terns.

This was the fourth bird release within the State of Louisiana. To date, more than 800 birds have been released throughout the Gulf Coast since the BP oil spill began in April 2010.

Article continues here.

Ohio area band steps up for wildlife

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:28:00 -0500

A local Ohio band, Enemy By Mourning, is preparing a Midwest fund-raising concert to aid Gulf oil spill relief efforts in partnership with the East Central Ohio Audubon Society. From the Newark Advocate:

"In a lot of environmental disasters, wildlife is sort of the first thing to be forgotten," bass player Jonathon Boyer said.

"It's pretty appalling to hear some of the things that are going on in the Gulf," Boyer said. "Volunteers are out there cleaning these animals off and saving their lives. That is what we want to help with."

At first, the band members thought they would have a small event with just a few bands. But they got a positive response from local musicians.

Grassroots efforts like these restore my faith in humanity! For more information on Banded Together, click here.

PetHobbyist.com Site Blog - Gulf Oil Spill Wildlife Disaster

Summarizing the Gulf oil spill response

Experts offer suggestions to save wildlife habitat in Gulf

Search continues for oiled birds

Michigan's oiled turtles have a hero on their side

Update from bird rescuers

Update on Michigan oil spill

Wild and free again

Oil spill effects not over

Oil in Gulf has gone underground

Another successful turtle release

Smithsonian catalogs life before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Evaluating the oil spill damage

Trouble for migratory birds

Busy week for bird rescuers

Ohio area band steps up for wildlife

Oil in Gulf has gone underground