Oil Spill Threatens Breeding Birds
Posted by Kelly Smith on Wed, May 05, 2010
Last week, an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Besides the immediate loss of human life in the explosion, the tragedy continues as an underwater well is spilling 5,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day. Experts are uncertain how quickly the leak can be stopped. Attempts to close off the well have been unsuccessful to date, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that alternative strategies may take months.
In the meantime, the oil company BP, whom President Obama deemed responsible for the leak, and the U.S. Coast Guard are floating special nets to contain the spilled oil and are using various techniques to help disperse the oil with very limited success.
Oil is currently covering up to 600 square miles of water in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. The oil is very close to reaching coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and is at risk of traveling up the East Coast due to the Gulf Stream. Oil spills are never beneficial to wildlife, but this is especially bad timing for migrating and breeding birds.
Brown pelicans, for example, are currently nesting and incubating eggs along the Louisiana coast. Their habitat and food supply are about to be put at serious risk as the oil slick closes in on their breeding grounds. The Brown Pelican was recently removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list, but they are very likely to become endangered again in the wake of such a hazardous disruption to their breeding season this year.
Migratory songbirds arriving back in the United States from Central and South American often rely heavily on coastal areas for immediate food and shelter. After a journey across the Gulf of Mexico that takes them to the limits of their endurance and energy stores, these birds do not have the stamina to fly around scouting out oil-free places to replenish themselves.
The National Audubon Society anticipates that casualties among birds and other wildlife will be high. They are mobilizing volunteers to help clean and rehabilitate birds injured by the oil spill.
Disasters such as the April 20th explosion and oil spill underscore some of the many problems with reliance on fossil fuel as an energy source that is out of sync with our planet. Green power is the way of the future. The sooner we can get away from coal and oil and towards clean, renewable energy, the better it will be for humans and wildlife alike.