Oil Spill - Please Remember Our Wildlife

In keeping with our animal advocacy theme, we want to highlight an additional and unfortunately, much needed service. In an earlier posting, Patricia discussed using the Alpaca fleece to soak up the oil spill in the Gulf. There is another disastrous side-effect to the oil spill which is the wildlife being covered with oil. Maria, who is known for taking in a stray cat or two, and who is also a vegetarian like Bill and Tom Kaulitz, discusses the current crises.
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My main reason for writing about this is to bring more attention to the animals that are still covered in oil from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is up to us to bring their plight to light since they are always the victims when things like this happen. I am a very big animal lover. I hate that the beautiful wetlands in Louisiana have become toxic for the animals.

Thankfully, there are several organizations that are helping with the effort to help the sea creatures, birds and other animals that rely on the wetlands for nesting and their nourishment. The Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program coordinated by Audubon Aquarium of the Americas were called in to assist with rescues of marine mammals (dolphins, whales, and sea manatees). They are also rescuing the sea turtles and will rehabilitate and release all of the rescued marine mammals and sea turtles.

Due to the spill, the sea turtles that usually nest, at this time, in Louisiana are now heading for the beaches of Mexico. Once a call comes in for the rescue of a distressed sea turtle, the Audubon team goes out to retrieve the sea turtle. The turtle is then brought back, cleaned up, rehabilitated, and released back into the ocean away from the area being affected by the BP oil spill.

Another notable organization that works with the rescue of birds is Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research.  They rescue birds and any wildlife that is being contaminated by the oil spill because the natural environment is polluted. This disaster affects the nesting habitat and eating sources, along with throwing off their natural behavior, such as swimming, diving, and wading. When a bird is caught in this oil spill, it is imperative that it be rescued quickly. Once the feathers on a bird are covered in oil, they start to lose the waterproofing and insulation that is necessary for their survival. But it isn’t just an external problem but also an internal problem if they stay covered in the oil for too long they can have internal damage to their vital organs.

I would just like to say that I am so happy that these organizations exist so that the animals unable to help themselves get the proper treatment needed to clean them up, rehabilitate, and then release them into the wild again. They are doing an excellent job in helping the wildlife in Louisiana. I hope many of you who read this will be generous with your donation and attention.

Visit the World Wildlife Fund for further information.