Thank Gulf Wildlife Rescuers For Their Tireless And Ongoing Work
You know that Discovery Channel show about Dirty Jobs? It profiles "unsung American laborers who make their living in the most unthinkable — yet vital — ways."
That pretty much sums up the lot of Gulf wildlife rescuers. They are toiling in the summer sun with the insanely depressing task of searching for dead or dying animals. When they encounter an oiled bird or a struggling sea turtle, they can bring it to a rescue center for cleaning, but the animal will still face a highly uncertain fate.
These rescuers also do their work in the face of criticism about whether or not they are even doing right thing by not putting suffering animals out of their misery. Or at least, they were back when people were paying enough attention to criticize them at all. Now that the well is capped and the "static kill" is an official success, the nation's eyeballs have mostly turned away.
That's why many outlets missed the fact that rescuers have actually gotten busier in recent weeks. As Mother Jones notes, more injured/dead wildlife have been found in the last 25 days since BP capped the well than in the whole time it was gushing oil. The increase is likely because rescuers are now first entering sensitive nesting areas and fledgling birds are only now starting to leave their nests and encounter oil.
This is all a reminder that the job of the rescuer is not nearly over yet. The death toll so far is staggering. As Treehugger reports, 3,902 birds have been collected dead, and 1,869 have been collected alive (775 of which have been re-released.) Sea turtles are only faring a bit better (517 dead, 500 oiled), likely because they are endangered and are fewer in number. And 71 marine mammals, mostly dolphins, are gone too.
Given all this, I think wildlife rescuers probably need a morale boost right about now. You can sign (and personalize) this letter that the Endangered Species Coalition will send to thank tireless wildlife rescuers for their work in the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo Credit: USFWS, Southeast
Jess Leber
is a Change.org editor. She most recently covered climate and energy issues as a reporter in Washington, D.C
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