Gulf oil spill wildlife in crisis: Oiled birds rescued likely to die anyway
As the BP oil spill seems to be taking more and more of our wildlife and wetlands, our sense of helplessness is soothed when we see oiled birds rescued, cleaned and released. But the process may be more for our benefit, then it is for the birds.
More than half the pelicans rescued from the American Trader spill in 1990 died within a year; fewer than 15 percent lasted two years, according to Newsweek. The Exxon Valdez oil spill was even worse. It covered 10,000 square miles and contaminated 1,500 miles of shoreline; a fraction of the more than 25,000 square miles the BP Gulf oil spill has covered - so far.
“Over 30,000 carcasses of 90 species of birds were plucked from the beaches, but this is only a fraction of the actual mortality. Harm to birds from chronic effects and decreased reproduction continues to the present.”
It is the long-term effects of contact with the oil that makes the rehabilitation of oiled birds so painful. Many die from liver and kidney damage. Biologist Silvia Gaus, said, "According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent."
A spokesperson for the World Wildlife fund agrees ."Birds, that have been covered in oil and can still be caught, can no longer be helped. … Therefore, the World Wildlife Fund is very reluctant to recommend cleaning."
The dilemma of whether or not to try to save the oiled birds can be heart wrenching.
Crews at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian shores, Florida, have been working tirelessly to rehabilitate the oiled birds that are brought in from the Louisiana coast. And there is a sense of accomplishment when they are set free in the Tampa skies. But the question of saving them remains debatable. Some believe that a shorter chance at life is better than none. Others say, the agonizingly painful, inevitable death by oil spill poisoning is more inhumane than capturing them and ending their suffering immediately by euthanasia.
There are no winners in this debate, no matter which side you favor. No one wants to watch tens of thousands of animals die. And no one wants to think about the ones we will never find.
Comments
They may "die anyway" but those birds that live one more year may live to procreate, and in fact help the species survive. Maybe we don't make a dent, but it doesn't alleviate our obligation to attempt to reverse the damage humans caused to the environment. Penance doesn't always repay the crime in full, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't have to pay.
Cleaning the oily birds and transferring them to a rescue where they can be monitored would be the most ideal. However, since that is not realistic it is fair to use the rules we have for TNR of feral cats. We don't test for FIV or FL because by altering and vaccinating, we are improving their lives and they are better off than if we had done nothing, and their condition would be the same if left untreated and thus it is not our responsibility to kill otherwise healthy cats with viruses. The birds would die right away with no help. If by helping now some are able to thrive then it is worth doing. Some may have long-term ill effects of the oil, but killing all of the oily birds to protect them is a dangerous idea.
I can't stand reading about the suffering of these animals and the stupidity of BP and the oil companies in general. I hate the CEO's of this company and I hope he doesn't sleep at night. Fisherman in the gulf have lost their careers and see no hope. Some have committed suicide. Can you sleep at night Hayward? The suffering of the animals and the loss to the gulf can never be recovered and we will all pay for it.
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