Rescuers Prepare to Save Animals From the Oil Spill

The first wildlife refugee of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 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. (The commercials don't lie — Dawn really is one of the best tools to help oil-covered wildlife, and the company has donated thousands of bottles to conservation programs.)

Organizations from the Humane Society of Louisiana to the Audubon Society to SeaWorld are gearing up for a massive rescue effort. And they're going to need help from every expert and wildlife rehabilitation group they can get.

Each oiled bird takes as many as four people and 300 gallons of water to clean. 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, but unfortunately, it's just a drop in the bucket. During the Exxon Valdez oil spill, about 1,600 birds were rescued, and at least 500,000 died; the Deepwater Horizon spill keeps spilling, and experts worry that the toll could be unlike anything we've seen before.

Since it's springtime, just about every animal in the Gulf of Mexico — from tiny shrimp to giant whales — is preparing to nest, spawn, or birth their vulnerable young. 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.

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. If crews continue to try and control the oil spill by burning it, the smoke may affect migration.

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 in the region, such as the Kemp's ridley (the world's most endangered sea turtle) and animals like 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. Skin contact with oil can cause irritation and health problems. 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. Moby Solangi, president and executive director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, is preparing his facility for rehabilitation efforts. Solangi says they can take in several dozen dolphins, manatees, and turtles, among other marine animals, but that may not be enough space, and facilities in nearby states are on the alert

Deep Sea News has a comprehensive rundown on the different ways that the oil spill could impact wildlife, but the full impact of the Deepwater Horizon spill won't be understood for years. In the short-term, the 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.

None of this comes cheap, and limited resources are always an issue, which is why, in addition to the long-term damage caused by oil, preventing these spills in the first place is so important.

Photo credit: uscgd8