You might have noticed footage of birds covered in oil. Animal rescue groups within the region of the Gulf Oil Spill are working daily to clean and save the animals. But how numerous animals are we talking about? 1 dozen? 1 hundred? 1 thousand? Here are the real numbers.
Which Gulf oil spill animals are affected?
Bird species consist of royal terns, Caspian terns, birds that frequent the marshes, for instance mottled ducks, clapper and black rails, seaside sparrows, and birds who develop nests along the ocean shores, like American oyster catchers and Wilson’s plovers.
Birds that live on the water are heavily affected by the water pollution. These incorporate ducks, loons and grebes. Those that feed on the water, which include pelicans, gulls, terns, and herons are also susceptible. Even birds of prey, like bald eagles and ospreys are at risk.
Marine mammals, including dolphins, whales, otters, manatees, seals and sea lions, breathe and ingest the oil, causing poisoning, and it covers their skin and fur. Sea turtles breathe the oil and eat food covered in it. It reduces their well being over time, producing them a lot more susceptible to illness and death.
Other reptiles, including snakes and land turtles, may also be affected by the sea pollution. They rely on other animals for food, and if those animals have been covered in oil or poisoned, and the reptiles consume them, they are able to then be in danger as well.
How lots of animals are affected?
To give you an idea of the numbers, here will be the information from just one day, August 9, 2010. These numbers show the results from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and various rehabilitation centers inside the Gulf area.
The effects of the Gulf disaster stretch beyond what we normally see. While the oceans might look cleaner, settling debris, habitat loss in nesting grounds and also a less productive spawning have depleted the next generation of aquatic and semi-aquatic life in the location. With an estimated 31 whale and dolphin species surviving in or migrating throughout this zone, some of the most spectacular and threatened animals on the planet including whale sharks, orcas, sperm whales and bluefin tuna depend on this location for survival. When spawned, newborns stand far less chance of surviving to adulthood in these contaminated waters.
At an average cost of $600 to $1,000 just to rescue, clean and rehabilitate a single bird, insufficient funding and logistical issues make it impossible to save each distressed animal. In some instances, it can be merely not practical to capture, clean and nurse an animal back to well being. Attempting to rescue distressed birds in nesting grounds can disrupt fledglings, contaminate other bird nests and possibly even trigger some nests to be abandoned completely.
In a race against time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, state and neighborhood authorities, concerned volunteers and privately sponsored groups continue to do what they are able to. But they want aid. Even though some may possibly use the excuse that they are “just animals”, what goes about comes around and that includes what ends up on our plates, vitamins we intake, shampoos, cosmetics and most of all, the collective consciences that supposedly make us better as humans.