Courtesy of the National Post

And what better precedent to look to for the answer than the Exxon Valdez accident?  For those who have heard those words but really don't understand what happened, the Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker that hit a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989 and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into the waters.  That oil eventually covered 1,300 miles of coastline and 11,000 square miles of ocean.  Some of the most widely-viewed pictures from this time was the cleaning of birds with Dawn soap.  

Currently there are similar efforts being done in Louisiana.  But as it may make you feel good to think that the famous dish detergent is bathing our beaked brethren clean and now they are healthy again, we all could be misinformed.  Why?  Because ornithologists have studied how long the Alaskan birds lived beyond those heart-warming cleaning efforts 21 years ago.

These Alaskan birds were tagged after being cleaned so researchers could follow their progress.  But it wasn't much of a progress since a majority of the rehabilitated birds did not last long after being released.  They died just days or weeks later.  The problem was that they had ingested the oil from preening and were still sick upon release.  That is why some are calling for euthanasia as a solution this go around.

But the American Bird Conservancy disagrees, arguing that studies from around the world do not show the grim results of Prince WIlliam Sound, since some birds are tougher than others and can survive longer from exposure to oil.  The Conservancy also says modern rehabilitation efforts monitor the birds more closely to make sure they are ready to be released.

In all honesty, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer on what the correct choice is.  But what is certain is the need to end these animals suffering at our own hands.  We may not have directly spilled that oil, but every time I put gas in my car - regardless of what gas company brought it in -  I personally add a drop or two on that pelican.

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