Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Defenders continues to be impressed with people across the country who are finding creative ways to bring attention to the oil tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico that has taken the lives of thousands of animals  and contaminated the region’s natural habitats.

One Eyed Rhyno, a musical group comprised of brother and sister James and Elaine Hunter and longtime friend, Andrew Daniels. Their mission is to rock with a cause.  These teens are not only turning heads with their sound, but also with their drive to do something.
 
Their single, “The Bird,” addresses the devastating and deadly conditions that impact wildlife after an oil spill. The band’s lead singer, James, originally wrote the song when he was 10 years old after learning about the Exxon Valdez spill. In the aftermath of the Gulf oil disaster, he decided to record the song and release it to raise awareness and money to help restore the area’s devastated ecosystem.

Find out what you can do to help save wildlife and prevent the next offshore drilling disaster.

In the aftermath of the Gulf oil disaster, Defenders of Wildlife received hundreds of phone calls and emails from concerned Americans wondering what they could do to help wildlife and coastal habitat impacted by the catastropic spill. Having already built a tool called the Conservation Registry to track and map conservation projects across the country, we decided to create a section of the site geared specifically toward people looking to aid in Gulf response and recovery. 

With the help of Google Maps, the Gulf Oil Spill Recovery website combines the latest locations of oil along with information on important wildlife habitats.  Users are able to see what impacts have occurred, response steps taken already and what projects still need volunteers. The interactive site also invites people to record the impacts they have witnessed themselves, and spread the word about what areas need help most.

Proud that Defenders is using Google Earth as a tool to help change the world, a video explaining the site is being featured on Google Earth Heroes – a program that salutes ordinary individuals achieving extraordinary goals and shares their stories in the hopes that they will inspire even more initiatives to help make the world a better place.

Visit the Gulf Oil Spill Response and Recovery website at gulfoilspillrecovery.org and see how YOU can be a hero.

Join Defenders of  Wildlife board member Jeff Corwin as he continues to document how the Gulf oil disaster will impact wildlife in the region. In this Nightly News piece with MSNBC’s Brian Williams, Jeff dives right in to check on the health of the largest fish on the planet: the whale shark.

They may be large (growing up to 40 feet in length!), but whale sharks are gentle giants, feeding mostly on plankton filtered through their enormous mouths. Feeding at the base of the food chain, they are at great risk in a still oil-stricken Gulf. However, the sharks are also a great indicator species for the health of the entire Gulf ecosystem. By affixing tracking devices to their fins, researchers can follow the fish and the depth at which they swim.

“Now that this whale shark has been fitted with transmitters, we’ll now know if it’s coming into harm’s way.” Jeff explains from the water.

Photo courtesy of Jim Reid, USFWS

The gentle and curious “sea cow” is one of Florida’s iconic animals, and one of the country’s most imperiled marine creatures, with a population estimated at only 5,000. While manatees reside year-round in the coastal waters of Florida, in warm months they can be found all along the Gulf Coast, and are repeatedly sighted in coastal Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana in summer. In addition to the hazards posed by boats, cold weather, habitat loss, discarded fishing gear and red tides, manatees in the Gulf are now faced with a new threat: oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.

There is little scientific information about the impacts of oil on manatees. But it is likely that oil would irritate their mucous membranes and oil vapors could inflame their lungs. Prolonged exposure could cause skin lesions, infections and organ dysfunction. Manatee calves, which have thinner skin and less fat, are at greater risk from oil exposure.

Read our new factsheet and learn more about how the Gulf oil disaster threatens the already endangered sea cow.

As BP moves into the final stages of drilling a relief well and permanently sealing its Macondo well, it’s tempting to believe the worst of the damage done to wildlife and natural habitats in the Gulf has passed. However, the harm inflicted upon the region’s natural resources are far from over.

The coastal wetlands bordering the Gulf of Mexico will feel the impacts of the BP oil disaster far into the future. These wetlands provide vital habitat for a remarkable variety of wild animals—including several threatened and endangered species. They also serve as nurseries for many important commercial species of fish and shellfish, as well as acting as pollution filters, shoreline stabilizers and storm buffers.

The immediate impacts of oil on wetlands can be devastating as it coats and kills roots and leaves. But residual, undegraded oil can persist in marshes for decades, causing lingering harm to plants and animals.

Read our new factsheet and learn more about what the Gulf oil disaster could mean for coastal wetlands for years to come.

In the aftermath of the Gulf oil disaster, Americans felt compelled to offer themselves to assist in rescue efforts for wildlife affected by the spill. Unfortunately, most of the jobs on the ground required hazerdous material or animal rehabiliation training. That didn’t stop Joyce White.

After seeing tragic images of oiled wildlife in the Gulf, the creative wheels in Joyce’s head began turning. She began crafting a beaded necklace – an already 15 foot-long piece of art composed of round and animal-shaped beads – that she plans to auction off in October. The money Joyce raises from the auction will then be donated to Defenders of Wildlife in the effort to support animals threatened by oil.

Read more about Joyce’s work to save animals in the Charlotte Observer.

Click here to see how you can help wildlife impacted by the Gulf oil disaster.