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Sea Otters and Oil
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16709 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
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10 / 1989 |
1,905 Words |
| Author
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Randall William Davis
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On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11.5 million gallons of crude oil. Because the author knew this area of Alaska, and because he had already developed methods for cleaning oiled sea otters, he was recruited by Exxon to organize and direct a sea otter rescue mission.
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Of all the marine mammals that live in Prince William Sound, sea otters are the most susceptible to the detrimental effects of crude oil because they rely on fur for thermal insulation in water. In contrast, harbor seals, sea lions, and dolphins rely on a layer of blubber beneath their skin for thermal insulation in water. When an otter's fur is fouled with oil, it becomes clumped and loses the air layer that is normally trapped against the skin. Without this air layer, the fur loses 70 percent of its thermal insulation, and the otter is subject to hypothermia and death.
When the first oiled otters arrived at our cleaning facility in Valdez, the largest town on Prince William Sound, they looked just as we had expected: black sticky fur, hypothermic, lethargic, and unresponsive. Most of these conditions we could correct with cleaning and medical treatment. What we were not prepared for was the extreme toxic effects of the oil. Most of the otters that arrived at the facility during the initial days after the spill occurred did not survive.
With very little diagnostic equipment on hand, it was difficult to determine why the otters were dying. Respiratory distress was evident, and blood analysis indicated liver damage and a suppressed immune system. But it wasn't until we began necropsying the dead otters that we saw the full extent of the organ damage. The lungs were severely emphysemic, the livers were discolored, and the intestines contained small amounts of oil. Treating the toxicity would be very difficult, and we realized that many more animals would probably die. Of the 350 otters that we would eventually treat, nearly one-half died, most during the first two to three weeks.
Unprepared for Such a Spill
Given the complexities of cleaning oiled otters, even a major seaquarium, with its extensive facilities and experienced staff, would have found the situation we faced daunting. Yet here we started with nothing except an old dormitory and a few eager volunteers. The Alyeska Pipeline Company and Exxon had failed to prepare a realistic contingency plan to treat oiled sea otters in the event of a spill. Now it was impossible, even with unlimited funds, to buy the precious time needed to have a wildlife rehabilitation center ready for immediate use. The situation was made more difficult in a remote area like Prince William Sound, where everything had to be flown or trucked in from the outside. Out of necessity, the facility was improvised from locally available materials and staffed by members of the community. Everything was crude, but workable.
Within 10 days, the sea otter rescue mission had received over 30 otters. The task of treating the animals included cleaning, medical support, feeding, and cleaning the pens. Our staff had grown to 40-50 people, including veterinarians and professional husbandry people from most of the major seaquariums on the West Coast of North America. But we
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