Disaster in the Gulf: Wildlife at Risk!

Currently the Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico after the placement of a temporary containment cap over the well.  The well is being tested and closely monitored for leaks.  Clean-up efforts continue throughout the region. 

The majority of impacts in NW Florida continue to be highly weathered oil in the form of tar balls or oil sheen.  Observations by NOAA continue to indicate no significant amounts of oil moving toward the Loop Current. Over 475,000 feet of oil containment boom remains in place in Florida in attempts to protect the fragile inland waterways of Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties.  Over 1,500 miles of boom has been deployed throughout the Gulf Region. 

As of July 16, a total of 1,997 visibly oiled birds (alive or dead) have been collected, including 304 in Florida.  A total of 156 visibly oiled sea turtles and four visibly oiled mammals have been documented, however there are 371 cases that are still pending.  Of the live animals recovered and cleaned, 521 have been released back into the wild.  Eleven sea turtle nests have been transported to areas without oil, and 56 sea turtle hatchlings have been released.