http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/294767Largest pelican-nesting area hit by oil, birds uncounted, may die New Orleans - As oil giant BP prematurely celebrates the latest efforts at stopping its oil volcano in the Gulf of Mexico, disturbing news has emerged over how the US government tallies birds impacted by the disaster, in many cases, leaving them to die.
Biologists report oil has coated at least 300-400 pelicans along with hundreds of terns on Raccoon Island, the largest nesting area for seabirds along the Louisiana coast, signaling a sudden escalation in marine wildlife being destroyed by BP’s Gulf of Mexico calamity.
These numbers, however, may never make the official tally of oiled birds impacted by the catastrophe. The federal government only counts oiled birds that have been found dead or collected for rehabilitation. Oiled birds in the many nesting areas along the Gulf coast are typically left alone, uncounted in the official numbers that will ultimately help determine the fines, if any, that BP would be responsible for.
According to the Associated Press,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8753579the latest discovery of oiled birds was made on Raccoon Island during the past week by researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Cornell is considered one of the nation's premier institutions for bird research.
Marc Dantzker, a biologist with Cornell, said 30 to 40 pelicans discovered by his group were covered in oil, “head to tail.” Many more had visible oil blotches on them. Dead birds were also discovered, although no count of them was available.
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