Conclusions and Next Steps:

Even before we got home, the team started to work on a report from the trip, and a set of recommendations.   Without going into too many details at this point, I will simply say that we were of one mind – much more work needs to be put into the rescue and recovery of oiled wildlife, and steps need to be taken today to create the means to monitor wildlife and environmental health into the future. 

Already, there are media-hungry contrarians who are denouncing any efforts to help individual wild animals as a futile waste of time and resources.  Since these critics seldom provide anything constructive to the discussion, preferring to throw stones at those who are actually willing to do something, I would say they can take such opinions and … well, put them where the oil can’t reach them.

For me, the following conceptual statement sums up why I think we have a moral and ethical duty to care for all the wild victims of this spill, and all of the human victims as well.  This is a short statement of purpose I have submitted to our team for consideration as an opening section of our final report. 

The collapse and explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform and the subsequent blowout of BP’s Mississippi Canyon 252 oil well have caused what is generally being called the greatest manmade environmental disaster in U.S. history.  Among the most shocking and disturbing images to come out of the region are the life-threatening struggles of wildlife, especially birds, marine mammals and sea turtles that have become oiled, or mired in pools of the spilled petroleum.  Unlike natural disasters such as fire, hurricanes or severe winter weather, where the disruption of habitat, nests, food supply and the loss of individual animals’ lives are aspects of a natural process, this oil spill is not natural — it is the result of specific human activity. 

 Since wildlife is a public trust resource which enhances not only the quality of life in affected regions, but also often the very functioning of the ecosystem, the mitigation and repair of manmade damage should be undertaken at all levels.  While it is the role of government to manage and conserve wildlife at a population and ecosystem levels, it is generally outside both the mission and capability of government agencies to directly provide for the needs of individual animals, except for specific rare, threatened, or endangered species.  Nevertheless, populations are composed of individual animals, and in manmade disasters, it is completely appropriate that all reasonable efforts be expended to relieve the suffering and distress of individual victims of human activities.  While it is rare for the care of individual animals to have significant impacts on their respective populations, in the case of such a widespread contamination of habitat and natural ecosystems, the long-term implications of which are not yet known, the care of individual animals may produce population level benefits, especially with species which are now or recently have been threatened or endangered, such as the brown pelican, wood stork, several species of sea turtles, and other currently affected species of wildlife. 

 Additionally, beyond the population level implications, lies the basic ethical foundation for a complete and comprehensive effort to recover and care for oiled wildlife.  No animal deserves to suffer and die needlessly because of the carelessness or irresponsibility of humans.  Those who have created this disaster need to be responsible for addressing all of its implications.  Therefore, a comprehensive system of location, documentation, recovery and care of oiled wildlife must be undertaken at once. Since this is outside the traditional roles of federal and state government, private sector support must be recruited and supported to supplement and extend the current oil spill response efforts.  Fortunately, such private sector expertise is readily available.

 And there you have it … the whole point of our trip and the work that lies ahead.   The Wildlife Center of Virginia is not going to lead the effort to wash oiled wildlife.  While some of our staff and volunteers may participate in that effort, there are other organizations with far more specialized experience at this type of care.  However, what we are already doing is to help create the opportunity and process through which care can, and will, be given to many more affected animals than are currently being served.  We’ll do this through the provision of scientific expertise, effective communication with both the public and policy-makers, and the creation and delivery of tools and support for those in the field.   There is no wildlife care organization more experienced than the Wildlife Center of Virginia at making this kind of a difference, and doing so quickly and collaboratively. 

 This effort may extend for many years, as we not only care for wildlife covered in oil today, but also monitor the health of these animals in the future, and investigate the implications of this oil in the bodies and habitats of the region’s wildlife.  Again, while our direct involvement in the bayous and wetlands of the Gulf Coast is likely to be limited, we will certainly be playing a major role in building the capacity of the organizations and individuals who will be deployed to do the job that needs to be done.  We’ll be working with veterinary and conservation partners to provide training, relationships and support for ongoing study of wildlife health, and we’ll be helping to use the results of those studies to shape better and more effective public policies — policies which we hope can help prevent such a disaster from ever happening again.

 Thanks for your support.

 Ed Clark