By now, many of you have seen the horrible images of birds and sea life soaked in oil and struggling to survive. The pictures speak for themselves, as does the constant flow of news updates about concealing the gushing oil well. Scientists are saying that the massive spreading oil spill is threatening the existence of an extremely endangered sawfish, Louisiana’s brown pelican (the state bird), coral reefs, the ridley and loggerhead sea turtles, and many whales. Also, according to the IUCN Red List, the Bluefin Tuna is at serious risk and considering the population’s demand for tuna and the affect on fishermen, this issue could affect more than just the gulf coast.
Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of the FASEB Journal (journal of the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology) warns the “Stuff leaching from the ocean floor is the worst environmental challenge a coral reef can face.” The deaths of three sperm whales have also been attributed to the oil spill, threatening the small population of the species that is native to the Gulf.
Endangered animals are like small children. They must be watched very carefully and protected against the problems of the world. We have not taken our responsibility seriously and they are the ones who are suffering. Even without crises like this spill, many animals’ habitats are constantly in danger due to the surging human population, so it seems insulting that we have not constructed better responses to issues that could further endanger their well being.
As the winds change and the oil gets pulled further east, our current efforts to combat the pollution will not be sufficient. We must encourage our political leaders to do more for these animals and also do more ourselves. Dr Doug Inkley of the National Wildlife Federation assured that, “Eventually the reporters are going to leave and the story will stop making front page news, but wildlife will continue to suffer long after the crowds leave. That’s why National Wildlife Federation has made the commitment to stay as long as it takes and do whatever we can, to help this region recover.”
So just as we should not soon forget the victims of Katrina or Haiti’s earthquake, please don’t forget the endangered animals of the gulf coast because in terms of danger to wildlife, this oil spill may easily be the worst in history.
If you cannot volunteer for the Gulf Coast Surveillance Teams, please consider donating to the National Wildlife Federation : https://online.nwf.org/site/Donation2?df_id=16706&16706.donation=form1
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