Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Should Oil-Soaked Birds Be Euthanized?

Dead Pelican, Breton Island (Agence France Press)

German Biologist Silvia Gaus has been quoted as saying that cleaning and attempting to rerelease oil-soaked birds is inhumane. In an article in Spiegel Online International, Gaus states that mid-term survival of cleaned birds is under 1%. Even the folks at Audubon Magazine are debating the issue on their blog. It's pretty hard to find accurate statistics on the subject but since oil-damaged feathers will fail to thermoregulate a bird's body temperature, it's not surprising. This evening on Keith Olbermann's show on MSNBC, I heard that BP exec Tony Hayward says that the environmental impact of the spill will be 'very, very modest'. Sure enough, I found the Agence France Press article quoting him as saying just that. Then I heard him say it on Rachel Maddow. 

Someone really needs to get these people to wake up and see that they are not fooling anyone.


10 comments:

  1. 1) Finding accurate statistics can be a real trick, can't it?

    2) AFP is often helpful for the above, and when not, at least helpful in finding more or less impartial reporting.

    3) Let's get some tar and feathers. At this point, it's the only punishment that seems pertinent.

    4) My word verification is "aphol," which is dishearteningly close to "atoll," which just makes me think more on this oil spill tragedy.

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  2. AFP is awesome, CN. And oh the irony of tar and feathers.... Humor dry, much?

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  3. "Let's get some tar and feathers. At this point, it's the only punishment that seems pertinent."

    That is *exactly* what I was just thinking.

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  4. you have FORFEIT YOUR SOUL, shermer... you have become an object in the material world, as you WISHED...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4j0n2UDU&feature=player_embedded

    http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/11792994_ffaaee87fa.jpg

    we're gonna smash that TV...

    They had become ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE AND OF GOD...
    you pushed too much and *CROSSED THE LINE*

    degenerates (PZ) or children (HEMANT) - ATHEISTS!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRRg2tWGDSY

    do you have anything to say, you STUPID LITTLE F*CKER?

    Now let's listen to this *GENIUS*

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4j0n2UDU

    how about I tell you, Mr. Shermer, EVERYTHING YOU THINK ABOUT THE WORLD is

    *WRONG*

    EVERYTHING YOU SAY I WILL DOUBLE ON YOU...

    the writing on the wall...

    f*ck you very much!

    THE BOOBQUAKE - 911!

    http://dissidentphilosophy.lifediscussion.net/philosophy-f1/the-boobquake-911-t1310.htm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx7XNb3Q9Ek&feature=related

    RUN, ATHEISTS, RUN!!!

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  5. we're using your squirrel.....


    http://www.skepticalcommunity.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=27878&start=160

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  6. ::YAWN::

    Actually, on further consideration, I think there's actually a good argument to be made in favor of euthanasia, at least in this case.

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  7. michael mock...

    don't push me, I will actually DOUBLE your comment on YOU...

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  8. Great. Now I want to watch Run, Fatboy, Run and I haven't got the Blu-ray. Inconvenient.

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  9. DM,

    What, you're going to yawn at me twice? Color me unimpressed. (If you're referring to my next line, the one about euthanasia... dude, I was talking about the birds.)

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  10. As an environmental scientist (marine biologist, marine geologist), I cannot help but feel that if even one creature is saved, then the program is worthwhile.

    ReplyDelete