A Gannet, recovered offshore on Friday and taken to a rehabilitation center to be cleaned-up and nursed back to health, is only the tip of a potential calamity facing the region's birds, sea turtles and marine mammals.
Besides the rescued bird, several sperm whales seen swimming in and around the oil slick earlier. Per Dr. Michael Ziccardi, a veterinarian overseeing some of the wildlife rescue teams in the region, no "confirmed animal impacts" have been reported yet; but he added, "that is not going to stay the same. We are expecting many more (casualties) in the days to come. We hope that number is not catastrophic. We're hoping for the best, but planning for the worst."
Ziccardi is director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network in California, a hub for the world's leading experts in capturing and caring for oil-soaked sea life.
