sea turtles scrubbed in the Gulf
Even as Scott and I spoke to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official who mentioned how deadly the oil is for slow-moving sea turtles along the Gulf of Mexico, and other reports have surfaced this week how turtles and other marine life are being caught up in the controlled oil slick burns, it was refreshing to watch the following CNN video on a few lucky rescues:
I watched the video before we left on our trip, but to date over 110 sea turtles have been rescued and brought for cleaning to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (based out of the University of California, Davis) which is partnering in Louisiana with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Other rescued turtles are being cared for by the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.
June 23, 2010
Reader Comments (2)
i just read that killing any endangered species (including certain types of sea turtles) is illegal, and punishable by a $25,000 fine for each animal killed. i hope that BP gets this message loud and clear!
A very interesting point, Sharon, and I certainly agree! Even if no such law existed, you'd think they could make a bit more effort to clear the slicks of animals before setting them ablaze, with so many creatures having lost their lives already ... Ben