Gov Crist rescues oily birds..

[DCBob]

Tallahassee, Florida -- Three birds that were nearly killed in oil from the BP spill were released in a fresh water lake near Tallahassee on Thursday. Gov. Charlie Crist slipped on a pair of blue rubber gloves to help with the release. The rehabilitated bird was pretty feisty and nipped the governor's hand as he placed the bird in the water. (the bird must have been a Republican)






more: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=135917&catid=250

Charlie is making all the right moves.

[femmocrat]

1. Hope it wasn't just a photo op.

He looks pretty clean.

[DCBob]

2. No doubt photo op...

but that's politics..

[femmocrat]

3. True. It's a nice story though.

Thanks.

[DCBob]

4. Yeah, I like politicians doing this kind of stuff even if somewhat staged..

It helps bring the attention to the issue.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. It would e nice to think the birds will survive more than 2 weeks after being released.

I have read that even the cleaned up birds do not survive very long after the initial exposure..even if they have been cleaned up.

They have ingested, inhaled and absorbed oil....and that cannot be cleaned off with DAWN. :(

[DCBob]

8. I didnt know that.. but its not surprising..

oil is very toxic to animals.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Some of the controversry surrounding the survival of "cleaned" birds..

http://laanimalwatch.blogspot.com/2010/06/unknown-survival-rate-for-oil-cover.html

Update for 7:10 p.m. ET: In your comments, please refrain from talking about "euthanizing" or killing anyone. Some commenters have noted that the reported survival rate for Gulf birds brought in for rehabilitation is around 10 percent, not 1 percent. But it's too early to say how much longer those animals survive once they've been released. In the Spiegel article, Gaus says the 1 percent figure she cited applies to "midterm survival." Russell says that figure is too low, even for longer-range survival, based on the scientific literature he's seen.

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http://wildlifeprofessional.org/blog/?p=2247

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http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/bird-rescuers-in-gulf-strongly-dispute-naysayers-who-call-their-work-futile.html

Bird Rescuers in Gulf Strongly Dispute Nay-Sayers Who Call Their Work Futile
<snip>
The IBRRC estimates a general survival rate between 50-80% though the organization is reluctant to give precise numbers because there are so many variables with each spill.

Holcomb was responding directly to Silvia Gaus, a German biologist at the Wattenmeer National Park, who says that the oil-soaked birds being cleaned and treated in the Gulf of Mexico should instead be put out of their misery.

"According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent," Gaus told Der Spiegel. "We, therefore, oppose cleaning birds."

Gaus worked on the clean-up after the Pallas cargo ship dumped 90 tons of oil into the sea in 1998. She says attempts to stop the toxic impact of the oil won’t work; the birds will die soon from kidney and liver damage, Gaus asserts. She says the stress from conservationists’ efforts to catch and clean the birds also hurts the birds, who will spend much of their time trying to clean their feathers instead of surviving.

"Their instinct to clean is greater than their instinct to hunt, and as long as their feathers are dirty with oil, they won't eat," Gaus told Der Spiegel. She said the birds should be allowed to die in piece, or be assisted in that task -- "quickly and painlessly."

After the Prestige oil spill in 2002, someone from the World Wildlife Fund seemed to agree with Gaus’s basic prognosis, and was quoted saying "Birds, those that have been covered in oil and can still be caught, can no longer be helped. … Therefore, the World Wildlife Fund is very reluctant to recommend cleaning."
<snip>

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http://www.ibrrc.org/gulf-oil-spill-frequently-asked-questions-2010.html

[DCBob]

11. Wow, thats a bit disturbing but even if 10% we still have to try to help these creatures..

We did this to them and its our responsibility. Thanks for posting this.

[NNN0LHI]

6. Wasn't he chanting drill, baby, drill with the teabaggers not too long ago?

[BeFree]

7. Yep

He was for it before the gusher erupted.

And the headline is a clear mistake. Crist did not rescue the birds.
But he didn't eat them either. So we can say one good thing about Crit.

[DCBob]

9. Ok, I admit it.. I exaggerated a bit.. but he did rescue them from the box..

;)

[SoCalDem]

12. I wonder how his turtle fared.

Getty Images 25 months ago

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) helps release a rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle near the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, just west of Marathon, Florida, on Friday, May 30, 2008. Others participating are Richie Moretti (L), head of the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital, Keys Mayor Mario Di Gennaro (2L) and Rodney Barreto (2R), chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The 50-pound reptile, named "Peter," was rescued by Turtle Hospital volunteers in late January and convalesced at the hospital for five months.

[DCBob]

13. Wow. that turtle looks happy!!

Hope he survived.

[MoonRiver]

14. Happy for the birds.

In the midst of this horror it's nice to see some survivors. Don't give a damn about politics in this situation.