Louisiana's state bird, the Brown pelican, first of many species coated in BP's sludge

It takes four people, 300 gallons of water and a whole bunch of Dove to get this Brown pelican free of oil spilled by the BP-leased rig that sits 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico. Officials rescued 60 birds, inlcluding 41 pelicans, from East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast, where workers found birds coated in thick, black goo. The water foul were brought to a temporary triage facility at Fort Jackson in Buras, La., Thursday, June 3, 2010, where animal rehab specialists cleaned them. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Forty-one Brown pelicans were found bathed in BP goo while trying to survive on a string of islands just off the coast of Louisiana. (AP Photo | Gerald Herbert).  

WATCH THESE BIRDS GET A BATH ON YouTube.com . . . CLICK HERE!

Victims of the disasterous BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico come in all sizes, and now they are starting to come in high volume.

The first wildlife refugee of the massive oil spill was a bird rescued on Friday.

The brown northern gannet was taken to a triage center in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, where he was hydrated and force-fed Pepto-Bismol to protect his stomach from any oil he might have ingested. Then the rescue team set to work washing him with Dawn dish soap to remove the oil from his feathers.

Each oiled bird takes as many as four people and 300 gallons of water to clean, and a bottle or two of Dawn.

 They can usually be released after about ten days, but if their habitat is contaminated by oil, their future is less clear.

The triage center at Fort Jackson has the capacity to help a few hundred birds. They'll make all the difference in the world to those animals.

If history teaches us anything, we are in for some serious sadness as this tragedy unfolds. During the Exxon Valdez oil spill, about 1,600 birds were rescued, and at least 500,000 died.

More than 400 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals along Louisiana's coast are threatened by the oil, including the brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird. Once on the brink of extinction, their population has recovered, but it's been a struggle to survive along the battered Gulf Coast. Right now, the birds are nesting in the barrier islands — right where the oil is headed. Rescue teams have set up floating barriers around their nesting grounds to try to keep them protected. 

Since it's springtime, just about every species — from tiny shrimp to giant whales — is preparing to nest, spawn, or birth their vulnerable young. In addition to several other species of birds nesting on the shores this time of year, Deepwater Horion may also cause problems for migratory birds.

Several endangered species are among the animals most at-risk from the oil spill, including North Atlantic bluefin tuna and loggerhead turtles. Depending on where the wind disperses the oil, the slick could also cause trouble for several other threatened species such as the Kemp's ridley (the world's most endangered sea turtle) and sharks who are usually headed to the warm Gulf waters this time of year for their spawning season.

Dolphins are high-risk species right now, too. As mammals, they also need to come up for air, which puts them in danger of inhaling the toxin. And, since they're curious animals, they could be drawn to the oil slick and all the activity around it.

Deep Sea News has a comprehensive rundown on the different ways that the oil spill could impact wildlife. Rescue efforts will vary depending on the species. For fish and other smaller marine life, the best that rescuers can do is try to keep the oil away from their habitats. Larger animals, such as birds, dolphins, otter, and turtles, will be assessed by experts and helped as long as they can be saved without putting people, or more animals, in danger.

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Pelicans and other shore birds nest on Breton Island, La., which is partially protected by a double boom. (Ann Heisenfelt | EPA )