As a respected leader in the field of animal care and environmental conservation, Shedd Aquarium is lending its experience and expertise to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill rescue and rehabilitation efforts. In fact, a member of our animal health division, vet tech Mayela Alsina, is in New Orleans now to work with Audubon Institute’s sea turtle and marine mammal rescue and rehab efforts. As the scope of the environmental tragedy has increased, so has the need for help, and Mayela joins other animal care specialists from the area and around the country at the Audubon Aquatic Center, where she will spend the next two weeks. Currently the center is caring for 106 sea turtles, 101 of them directly affected by the undersea oil well blow out that continues to pollute the Gulf.
About Shedd’s Experience and Rescue and Rehabilitation:
Shedd Aquarium has been participating in rescue and rehabilitation since 1989, when Shedd’s animal care experts were deployed to Alaska to assist in sea otter rescue and rehabilitation during the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Shedd experts have traveled the world, in South Africa helping penguins in the wake of an oil spill and, more recently, in Gumbo Limbo, Florida, with sea turtle rescue following a wildlife-threatening cold spell.
In addition to Shedd’s efforts, many staff members have been involved with various rescue and rehabilitation efforts for years. Ken Ramirez formerly oversaw the state of Texas’ marine mammal stranding efforts and continues to serve as an advisor for the marine mammal stranding network. Dr. Ilze Berzins worked with sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins and manatees in Florida on both research and rehabilitation programs while she was on staff as the veterinarian for the Florida Aquarium.
About the Oil Spill Rescue Efforts:
The Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, or LMMSTRP, is a program coordinated by Audubon Aquarium of the Americas to act as the first responder for the entire state of Louisiana when a sea turtle or marine mammal is in harm’s way.
What is LMMSTRP’s role in oil spill response?
LMMSTRP has been designated as the primary responder for oiled sea turtles and marine mammals (dolphins, whales and manatees) along Louisiana’s coast. Audubon’s LMMSTRP team is based at the Audubon Aquatic Center located at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center. Animals are brought there for thorough cleaning, veterinary care and recovery. Since the spill began, the team has cared for more than 75 sea turtles and anticipates many more in the weeks ahead.
Photos: Audubon Nature Institute. Photo credit: Meghan Calhoun
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