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Oil's Gruesome Toll on Wildlife Slowly Emerging
GULF OF MEXICO - Images and reports of oil-drenched wildlife that's dead or slowly dying are starting to emerge. At least one cleanup worker alleges that BP is trying to keep such disturbing pictures out of the public eye.A bird covered in oil flailing in the surf at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast today The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that 522 dead birds have been found along the Gulf Coast. At least 38 were oiled, 365 do not show any visible oil and the remaining 119 are unclassified.
A bird covered in oil flailing in the surf at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast today. (Charlie Riedel, AP So far 82 oiled birds have been rescued - 63 in Louisiana, 10 in Alabama, eight in Florida and one in Mississippi.
CBS News has gut-wrenching video of oil-covered birds in distress, including the brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird, which for many years was on the Endangered Species List.
An unidentified cleanup worker took a New York Daily News reporter on a clandestine tour of the hidden wildlife carnage in Louisiana, accusing the BP of keeping the media at bay.
"There is a lot of coverup for BP. They specifically informed us that they don't want these pictures of the dead animals. They know the ocean will wipe away most of the evidence. It's important to me that people know the truth about what's going on here," the contractor said. "The things I've seen: They just aren't right. All the life out here is just full of oil. I'm going to show you what BP never showed the president."
After checking that he was unobserved, he motored out to Queen Bess barrier island, known to the locals as Bird Island.
The grasses by the shore were littered with tarred marine life, some dead and others struggling under a thick coating of crude.
"When you see some of the things I've seen, it would make you sick," the contractor said. "No living creature should endure that kind of suffering."
Queen Bess Island was the first place where fledglings were born when the beloved, endangered Louisiana brown pelicans were reintroduced in the 1970s. Their population rebounded and was finally declared stabilized in 2002.
Now their future is once again in doubt. In what had been such an important hatchery, hundreds of pelicans - their white heads stained black - stood sentinel. They seemed slow and lethargic.
More oil-soaked birds arrived at cleaning stations today, as Louisiana officials continued to patrol the marshes and beaches.
Meanwhile, federal wildlife experts released two rescued and cleaned birds back into the wild, raising the total to 24. There are, however, no guarantees they won't again become mired in the spreading oil as they go about their natural lives.
See which creatures - and how many - are at risk.
44 Comments so far
Show AllOut of site, out of mind, I guess.
BP is out of its mind if they think they will be able to hide the effects of their terrible mistake--the black shit is still spewing out of the hole their greed has opened--until it is sealed up there will be many more agonizing deaths of seabirds, fish, mammals(including man), and other forms of marine life--some so minute that they won't be seen--but will nonetheless be destroyed.
We need to bring in the experts to study and staunch the problem now--not tomorrow.
That oil will work its way out into the Atlantic and over to Europe and beyond. It will leave traces of the great crime of the Gulf on the shores along the way.
The toxic dispersant will kill living things that the oil doesn't kill, and both oil and toxic chemical will remain in the food chain for decades.
The oil is like the blood of our mother Earth being spilled to fuel the military machines that are engaged in wars over ... oil --and water and mining resources-- and to fuel the craze for capitalist "growth" and the lifestyle of the carefree late 20th century.
Those oil stains, like trails of blood, should and will be in our face for as long as it takes us to stop the war machine and the capitalist economic model and to rein in the out-of-control corporations and individuals who are wrecking the planet.
A time for mourning all that is lost in the Gulf and all that is going to be harmed in future generations and in other parts of the planet.
A time for organizing boycotts and for launching criminal and civil lawsuits to stop the expansion of offshore drilling everywhere and of drilling in the Amazon and in the Niger Delta, and for the UN waking up and imposing strict controls on the oil and gas industries everywhere.
A time to wake up, finally, and take a stand.
Gaia's going to get us in the end, but not before we have harmed her beyond repair, perhaps.
Life is more resilient than that. New niches will open and new species will fill the voids. Nature has plenty of time.
Make no mistake, I liked this planet the way it used to be, but have great respect for Nature's determination to expand the reach of life and self healing power. Whether Nature eliminates the speciecentric sapien sapiens or it is homospeciecide is to be determined. Who knows, we just might get through this.
WTF!? Our civilization is very well on the path to destroying life as we know it on our planet and your indifference and blind optimism is, itself, disturbing, to say the least. Yea, there are simple lifeforms that can exist on the cores on nuclear reactors, but the intricate web of diverse life which has come to evolve together on our world deserves better than your "Oh, well, it can possibly heal itself" nihilistic attitude. The issue is not weather nature will eliminate us, nature will sustain us if we work with and not against...the issue is what we can do to prevent ourselves from destroying nature. Get sad, get mad, do something, anything, but not this....this nothing...and, no...we will absolutely not get through this if we just continue to behave as we have and hope for the best---that is just insane.
Life as we knew it is already changed. I've been sad and mad. This poisoning of the gulf is the saddest event in my lifetime.
Do nothing? Indifference? How ridiculous. I've done more than most to try and stop the environmental degredation.
Whatever happens, life will go on. Humans can not destroy Nature, but Nature can destroy us anytime.
The other day, Amy Goodman reported from the Gulf, and she went out on a Coast Guard boat into, or near, the marshes. Amy actually dipped her hand into the water -- when she removed her hand from the water, her hand was black with oil.
From what I have read, the EPA/Obama administration have, within the past few days, OK'd a new "drill, baby, drill" site, about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana -- despite the current oil blowout. I am so disgusted!
And, I have read that the oil is getting closer and closer to the Florida shoreline.
"That oil will work its way out into the Atlantic and over to Europe and beyond. It will leave traces of the great crime of the Gulf on the shores along the way." -- hoodeet
Kay, did you see where she was on that row boat with the fisherman who had signed the waiver not to talk about what he'd expereinced in the clean up?
That was very visceral for me. How BP won't allow them to wear their own clothing, and then confiscate what they had worn, so it can't be tested......etc.
This is definitely a road mark event. Like a dream we've all had in the past and now it is happening in real time.....
rita
ready: Yes, I watched the entire program. And, you are absolutely correct when you write, "This is definitely a road mark event."
I forced myself to watch the video of these poor, innocent, dying birds, even though I knew it would wrench my heart. We have to see this. Everyone should see this. I'm glad CBS and USA Today are not so "bought and paid for" that they would self-censor these stories and pictures. I'm glad they're not letting BP hide the evidence of this atrocity, at least not completely.
I'm crying as I write this. I'm SO sorry, you poor beautiful babies, for what we humans have done to you. Yes, I am a misanthrope. Humans, with all their greed, and violence, and ignorance, and depravity, are vile. As vile as Earth's excrement, oil.
"I forced myself to watch the video of these poor, innocent, dying birds, even though I knew it would wrench my heart. We have to see this." -- Anne Faith
I completely agree with you. Everyone, no matter how horrific the photographs are, should take the time to view them. Like you, tears stream down my face.
We are all complicit in the gulf horror. Blame it on BP, on MMS, on Bush, on Obama. Lets face it, we can barely wipe our buts without help from big oil. Actually, we can't wipe our buts without it. What strange creatures we have become. Like the brown pelican, we are covered in an oily slime, slowly dying.
Please stop blaming the USA citizens for this, they would drive their autos on strawberry icecream if that was what was available and affordable in the showrooms.
There has been a concerted effort by Corporations to limit enegy resources to those held in monopoly by vested interests.
I myself was eagerly awaiting the availability of a home fuel cell unit being developed in Troy NY but the moment it was ready for market GE killed it by buying all the franchise rights.(I am on photovoltaics for over twenty years).
The most advanced and bladeless wind Turbine (Fuller Turbine) was invented by Tesla in 1913.
Blaming the citizens for using oil is like blaming sheep for being sheared.
The only thing citizens are guilty of is being to insecure too hold ethical jobs and too weak to general strike.
No one is forcing you to depend on oil for your very existence. We no longer have the skills to live sustainably. They certainly don't teach them in schools. I like your comparison with sheep.
How appropriate.
Agreed. But the planet can't wait for a critical mass of citizens to organize and take over the system, or to reach the required state of consciousness and the will to give up our lifestyle. What kind of accelerated AND effective action can be envisioned?
The grass roots approach can be accelerated and effective, if we want it to be. Just like we can re-arrange the economy by re-arranging our demands. The main reason for the grass-roots approach is because we ultimately want the people to become active, and retake control of their government, in addition to production. The alternative, i.e. organizing, it's merely replacing the old boss with a new boss. Even when benevolent, the boss inflames the worst side of human nature. There's nothing stopping us from creating a grass-roots movement.
This made me think of Gitmo. 'Gitmo on the Gulf'.
The contractor who has heart is blowing the whistle on the toruture the wildlife is enduring. And the coverup.
Feels too familiar to me.
Then you should be a vegetarian. Hypocrite!
How do you know anything about his/her diet?
Because, if this person had any awareness about the way our food animals are treated he/she would have commented about it.
The Factory farm process practices the slow and torturous process of destroying gentle animals in the worst conceivable manner.
We all need to become better informed about the factory farming of such gentle and trusting animals.
The news media is afraid to show Americans what takes place because of repercussion from the meat industry.
It is magnitudes worse than what is happening to the animals along the Gulf Coast.
Everyone should watch these videos:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25458.htm
Still, and it is not germane to the conversation so I apologize to all for temporarily going off topic, you can't possibly know anything about this person's diet. And how do you know what or what not anyone besides yourself may or may not choose to comment upon?
Why should we care about the animals on the Gulf Coast our factory farms torture and slaughter innocent food animals regularly?
This is blatant hypocracy.
Let them all die horribly, we want the oil AT ANY COST.
Drill baby drill! Right?
These are absolutely gut wrenching images. I am very prepaired to see BP screwed to a wall for this.
We need to see what's happening and feel the grief for our beautiful world and all the beings who share it. Out of our grief, maybe change can grow. Anger protects our egos and makes us feel strong, but grief opens our hearts and allows us to connect with each other. Feeling our grief, we can grow a little bit wiser. And we can take action.
- Talk to your friends, neighbors, and families about what is happening and how you feel.
- Boycott BP, Arco, AMPM, Castrol, and other BP-owned brands.
- Participate in local events.
- Generate your own creative activist events, boycotts, teach-ins, open mics, poetry performance, and guerrilla theater.
- Participate in no-drive Sundays: park your car by noon on Sunday and don't drive until Monday.
- Join Transition Towns and localizing initiatives to move your community away from dependence on oil economy. We can't break our dependence on oil alone, but together we can shift the culture.
- Support Patty Murray and the other West Coast senators in banning offshore drilling on the west coast (you can sign your support at )
- Turn off the computer and the TV, go outside, and be with the living world around you. That's what we want to save.
"Participate in no-drive Sundays: park your car by noon on Sunday and don't drive until Monday."
I must say, I am dismayed by these kinds of comments, as I am by calls to "boycott BP". Are we so hopelessly dependent on our cars, that the best we can do is pledge to not drive after 12:00 on Sundays? Really?
I moved to Denmark for the first time in 2001, and haven't owned a car since. It's a cycling culture here, everyone rides bikes. Sure, there are cars, but it's not necessary to own one even if you have children. Many parents just use these bikes with carriages that can fit two or three small children. I think the kids love it...
Anyway I moved back to the States several years ago, but I maintained my cycling habits. People would sometimes find it strange that I, a grown man, didn't own a car, but if anyone gave me a hard time about it, I would use the opportunity to preach the virtues of cycling, and our need to overcome our addiction to the car culture. I'm now back in Denmark where it is much, much more bike-friendly (and I know how difficult it can be in the States to make do without a car), but still, I find these kinds of comments about boycotting BP and committing to driving slightly less often to be disconcerting.
How about this: Commit to only driving one day a week, perhaps on a Saturday to run all your errands. The rest of the time, bike or take public transit to work, and lobby your local and state governments to invest more in bike lanes and public transportation.
When it comes to boycotting BP, come on, let's be honest, that is nothing more than a feel-good gesture to make you feel slightly less guilty when you're pumping gas. Which gas station do you boycotters propose we use? Shell, the company notorious for destroying the Niger Delta and violently repressing the environmental movement in Nigeria? ExxonMobil, of Exxon Valdez fame? The company famous for funding junk science discrediting global warming and leading a legal persecution of Greenpeace? Of course, then there are all the oil companies profiting from our wars in the Middle East and Central Asia, yeah, those are the guys I want to give my money to.
I suppose there is Citgo, at least those profits support the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, but still, burning fossil fuels causes climate change, so the best thing to do is really just not drive at all. At least commit to doing it only sparingly, when absolutely necessary.
Time for the dismantling of the USA. Its "American Dream" is a veritable nightmare to the Earth!
"What have they done to the earth?
What have they done to our fair sister?
Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her
Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn
And tied her with fences and dragged her down"
When The Music's Over Lyrics
by:The Doors, 1967
Indeed!
I have the BBC Video, "THE BLUE PLANET - SEAS OF LIFE" narrated by David Attenborough.
"We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the deep oceans...." --Alastair Fothergill, Series producer
"On almost every shoot I've been on we have found out things which the scientists didn't know previously. Marine biology is so new that most of the scientists are just counting and classifying--they haven't looked at animals' behavior yet; so when we spend several days observing the behavior of these animals, we're doing something which has never been done before. After most shoots, the scientiests ask us for copies of our footage." --Hugh Pearson, Assistant Producer.
After watching the series, I came away with a deeper appreciation for the dignity, intelligence, beauty, and lives of all the sentient beings who make the oceans--whether above or below the seas--their home.
What sorrow now, what shame!
Thank you for this one, Rodent...(who would have thought i would ever write *that* sentence?)
Attenborough is pure brilliance. His documentary on the world of plants changed my entire perspective. He works on multiple levels that actually allow it to be experienced.
Peace,
rita
FWI, A Dr. Hildebrand did his dissertation for his doctorate in marine biology on the species found in the Gulf of Mexico. He was a marine biology professor at University of Texas Marine Lab in Port Aransas, Tx.
I worked there one summer in the 1970's and it was a fascinating place to work/experience!
Humans are the most vile, evil, destructive species ever to walk on the earth. Of course, this accelerating destruction of Mother Earth is led by over-consuming Americans, with greedy corporations spearheading the attacks on our environment. Heck of a job, fellow humans. Bud Lights all around...
GULF TRIBUNAL
Complete with Most Wanted List
http://gulftribunal.tumblr.com/
My grandparents all managed to escape Russia ... Will there be any escape from the D (Disunited) SA now?
An open letter to lawmakers,
The US must depend on the government in this current national and world wide ecological disaster we face.
With unemployment as it is, can you tell me why the President can't mobilize this country and hire people to help with the cleanup? Why can't unemployment money go to workers who can work, be paid a living wage while helping with this? Couldn't the US then pursue BP for that cost after all that can be done is done? How is it BP orders the US Coast Guard to remove people from the beaches and prevent them from taking photos? BP is clearly out of control with the drilling disaster and dealing with damage control away from their drilling site. You can bet they are also gearing up for a legal position to limit their own losses. The President, through inaction, is allowing the trashing of our nation! Sincerely I ask, who is congress responsible to? I ask you, is this in our national interest? Is this helping our national security? If the President feels a need to rely on whatever expertise BP has left for dealing with the well, should he ignore mobilization to protect our national treasure in the meantime?
To think the Supreme Court gave the rights of personhood to corporations is unconscionable. To think that the decision has not led to an amendment to the Constitution defies logic. I fear for the future of this nation and, indeed, the world. Are you in a position to deal any of this? I hope to God American business has not killed our oceans too.
Clearly, this solution would require creative thinking and empathy for people and the environment -- qualities that neither Obama nor the Repubs, Blue Dogs and other centrist Dems do not appear to possess.
USan elites found that limiting the people's choices allows for their enslavement. Not having the choice of rail transport means expensive transport or no transport. Restricting availability of nature's endless variety of edible foods enables market conquest by mass production. The elites must shatter our appreciation for nature, dividing us from nature, to better conquer us.
TCM is having a tribute to Jacques Cousteau this month and last night Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under a Sea" was on. It's a favorite of mine, but it took on new meaning in light of our current circumstances. The performance by James Mason as Nemo is, of course, what makes this movie. Disney today, I am sure, would savage this brilliant work and give it the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" treatment -- fun and games for all the kiddies, right? Anyway, I looked up Jules Verne this morning and here's a quote from said book where Captain Nemo talks about the sea, a more complicated version than was in the movie, of course:
"You like the sea, Captain?"
"Yes; I love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite,' as one of your poets has said. In fact, Professor, Nature manifests herself in it by her three kingdoms--mineral, vegetable, and animal. The sea is the vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme tranquillity. The sea does not belong to despots. Upon its surface men can still exercise unjust laws, fight, tear one another to pieces, and be carried away with terrestrial horrors. But at thirty feet below its level, their reign ceases, their influence is quenched, and their power disappears. Ah! sir, live--live in the bosom of the waters! There only is independence! There I recognise no masters! There I am free!"--Ch. 10
At the end of the movie Nemo says man will have access to all this technology (nuclear, etc.) "in God's time," presumably when he has learned to use as force for good. Makes you sad doesn't it?
"The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it?" Very good possibility.
Thanks, Samalabear, for taking the time to share the quote with us.
Yesterday, I watched a lengthy interview with the famed French New Wave film director, Louis Malle. I didn't know that he worked for about four years, at the beginning of his career, as a cameraman/diver for Jacques Cousteau before he began making his own films -- Elevator to the Gallows, The Lovers, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Atlantic City, My Dinner With Andre, etc. It was very interesting.
Govenor Haley Barbour of Mississippi would say that the bird in the picture was just doing the back stroke! There ain't nothin wrong with our beaches!
Diane Sawyer assured us that this particular bird was rescued. So no problem. Help is on the way, she said.
This will happen to countless thousands of birds, and help is not on the way. The Gulf Coast could be a dead zone, something we have already done to the coast of Nigeria without giving it a second thought. America so much deserves this. Only the birds and fish do not deserve it.
Right now we need Diane Sawyer to ease our pain, like some kind of demonic mommy, until the wildlife is gone. After that it won't be so bad.
How many people here are willing to give up their cars to help reduce America's addiction to oil?
BOYCOTT BP!!!!! BP should have its drilling licenses removed until it has paid for all the damage - without being allowed to drag it through the courts has happened with Exxon, who still hasn't paid all of what it owes.