http://laanimalwatch.blogspot.com/2010/06/unknown-survival-rate-for-oil-cover.htmlUpdate 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_____________________________________________________________________________
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
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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."
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http://www.ibrrc.org/gulf-oil-spill-frequently-asked-questions-2010.html