Animals Affected by the Gulf Oil Spill

The leaking BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been a top news story for months. Now that the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig leak has been stopped, the mess can begin to dissipate and cleanup begins. What about animals affected by the Gulf oil spill? Which animals have been hurt, and what is being done to help them?

1. Sea Turtles

Green turtles and Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are two varieties of turtles affected by the oil spill. Workers with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) are busy rescuing sea turtles. They bring the turtles to Audubon Nature Institute's rehabilitation center in Venice, Louisiana. Treating the turtles isn't as simple as cleaning them off; their blood levels of various substances is monitored as well.

Another way workers are trying to help sea turtles is to collect their eggs from the gulf coast before they can hatch and move into oily waters. The eggs are being brought to cleaner locations, such as Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Controversy arose because many Kemp's Ridley sea turtles (an endangered species) were being killed by controlled burning of oil slicks, done by BP to reduce the amount of oil in the gulf. BP and the US Coast Guard agreed to a plan to pluck as many of the turtles as possible out of oil slicks, rescuing them from incineration.

2. Pelicans

Pelicans (brown and American white are two common varieties in the area) and other birds are affected because oil coats their wings, making them unable to fly long distances or to swim well. Have you ever tried to wash oil off your hands without using soap? If so, you'll understand how difficult it is for these birds to get the oil off of their wings using only water. An additional problem is that the birds ingest oil while they are trying to clean it off their wings. And if that's not enough, oil also hurts birds' ability to regulate their body temperature.

It's difficult to capture a bird unless it is totally oiled or dead, and this makes it hard to gather pelicans for cleaning. The Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, has collected 30 of the birds and is cleaning them before releasing them back into the wild. The Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Buras, Louisiana is also helping pelicans and other birds, having cleaned over 700 so far.

The cleaning process usually takes 2 people and takes 45 minutes, so it's a pretty labor-intensive project. The workers use diluted dish detergent and brushes - sometimes even toothbrushes for small areas - to clean the animals.

3. Jellyfish

Jellyfish aren't as cute and cuddly as many other animals, but they are nonetheless affected by the oil spill. Lines of dead jellyfish can be seen floating in the waters of the gulf and others have washed up on shore, and oil they have ingested can be seen in their translucent bells.

Jellyfish are a good example of an animal that is part of the food chain. Once it has ingested oil, the predators eating it will be affected by the oil as well.

4. Dolphins and Whales

Oil does not affect dolphins and whales first-hand as it does other animals, because it does not adhere to their skin well. However, the danger to these mammals comes from the food they eat. As they eat fish and other animals tainted with oil, they become less healthy and vigorous. The effects of this will be seen for years to come.

5. More ...

Many more species are affected by so much oil invading their habitats. A partial list includes laughing gulls, northern gannet seabirds, egrets, fish, crabs, ibis, terns, seagulls, terns, spoonbills, and hermit crabs.

BP has said it plans to sell recovered oil from the spill, using profits to benefit a wildlife protection fund.

SOURCES:
Washington Post: Gulf Oil Spill's Animal Victims

Washington Post: Gulf Oil Spill's Animal Victims gallery

Christian Science Monitor: BP Gulf Oil Spill: Turtles to be Protected from "burn boxes"Voice of America: As Oil Ebbs, Turtles Return