Definitely Not a Democratic Planet

So who (or what) originally came here to spread democracy?

To report oiled or injured wildlife in the Gulf Coast area, call 866-557-1401.

According to Wednesday's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service numbers, rescue officials have collected 1,075 birds. Of those, 442 were alive and "visibly oiled." Another 633 were found dead, and 109 of those were visibly oiled.

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"How long will the birds survive that have been cleaned and released? We don't know yet," Hemley said, explaining it depends on a variety of factors.

Included are the bird's age and size and the length of exposure to the oil, she said.

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Seabirds' feathers are weatherproofed by natural oils, stimulated by a gland in their lower back. This is why birds nuzzle their tail feathers when they're preening, Hollingsworth said.

"If that gland is damaged," he said, "then that no longer secretes oil."

Holding the birds in captivity to protect them or moving them to a new habitat can be unhealthy for the bird as well, he said. Captivity is stressful, and changing a bird's environment introduces it to new prey and predators when it was accustomed to its food and enemies in its natural habitat.

  CNN

At least a few experts have openly advocated killing all oiled wildlife immediately, claiming that animal lovers are merely prolonging their distress and suffering.

"Kill, don't clean," recommends Silvia Gaus, a biologist at NationalPark Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea National Park) in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Unfortunately, despite some short-term success in cleaning birds and releasing them into the wild, few, if any, have a chance of surviving even for a few months, reports Ms Gaus, who has worked as a biologist for 20 years.

"According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent," Ms Gaus explained. "We, therefore, oppose cleaning birds."

  Science Blogs

Popular Mechanics

Beaches near oil spills are often where oiled birds land. "Oil creates a hole in the wetsuit," says Nils Warnock, who oversees search and rescue of oiled wildlife for the University of California–Davis Wildlife Health Center, an Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) affiliate. "When that starts to happen to some of the marine birds, they get cold and they want to come onshore to try to get warm," he says.

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Affected birds are often hypothermic, dehydrated from preening excessively to remove the oil from their feathers and possibly poisoned from ingesting the toxin.

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Once stable, birds are given a bubble bath made from a solution of one percent Dawn soap and warm water. It's a two-person job. "Cleaning, of course, is stressful. This isn't something that happens to them day to day," Wamock says. As one person holds the bird, another washes its feathers vigorously. Toothbrushes and cotton swabs help remove caked oil from the bird's head and eyes, and a Waterpik removes oil exclusively around the eyes. When tub water gets dirty, rescuers move the bird to a second, third and fourth tub until the water remains clear. It can take up to 15 tubs until the bird gets clean; one pelican can require 300 gallons of water.

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Trained volunteers, biologists and vets use a special spa nozzle, set to a specific water pressure, to rinse the detergent from the bird's feathers. When the suds are all gone, the birds sit under a pet drier (hairdryers hurt aquatic birds' skin) and preen their feathers. "Bird feathers are naturally waterproof but after washing, each feather must be aligned properly," writes IBRRC executive director Jay Holocomb on the organization's website. "Each feather is made up of microscopic barbs and barbules that hook together like Velcro. Once hooked together, they become a tight waterproof barrier.

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Recuperating birds often swim around in outdoor pools before rescuers release them. "It can take as little as a few days, but for some birds it can take a long time, up to months," Wamock says. Wildlife veterinarians determine if the birds are fit for flight, and often band them before releasing them back into their designated habitat. Release rates are usually between 50 and 80 percent, the IBRRC reports, and the group is collecting information on how many treated birds thrive in the wild.

It could be argued that it's a shame one animal should have such a profound impact – negative effect – on the world's other animals.

American scientists who shot nearly 1,000 sperm whales with tissue-sampling darts discovered stunningly high levels of toxic and heavy metals in the animals.

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Analysis of cells from the sperm whales showed that pollution is reaching the farthest corners of the oceans, from deep in the polar region to "the middle of nowhere" in the equatorial regions, said biologist Roger Payne, founder and president of Ocean Alliance that conducted the research.

"The entire ocean life is just loaded with a series of contaminants, most of which have been released by human beings," Payne said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Whaling Commission's annual meeting.

"These contaminants, I think, are threatening the human food supply.

  Yahoo

It could also be argued that we will be reaping what we sow.

We came. We had fun. We trashed the park.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.