Saturday, July 24, 2010

Gulf oil spill animals remain in danger despite BP's cap

Two days, ago, Stephen Wells, Executive Director of the Animal Legal Defense Fundblogged that “there is good news in the Gulf of Mexico,” because of the cap that BP placed on the well.

We know from reports that the cap may not hold, but the worst could be over–at least for people. Wells admits in the blog that he can’t say the same for the animals of the Gulf.

He says that many “may die lingering deaths from acute toxicity or, in the case of many birds, hypothermia – as oiled feathers can no long provide the insulation needed to maintain a healthy body temperature.”

Read Wells’ blog here for all the devastating effects of the oil that could await the Gulf’s animals.

As we hope that the cap means the spill is almost over, remember that the Gulf animals will continue to need protection for decades. No one knows the long-term effects of an oil spill of this magnitude. ALDF will stay involved, saving animals, as it has since 1979. In fact, ALDF already filed one lawsuit with three other groups that forced BP and the Coast Guard to stop burning turtles, including the endangered Kemp's ridley.

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