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Rescuers Work to Save Wildlife Affected1 by California Oil Spill
SAN DIEGO—
Dead animals have been found almost daily since a pipeline2 failed May 19, releasing thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean and beaches of central California. While it will take years for scientists to gauge3 the spill's effects on the ecosystem4, rescue workers are taking more immediate5 action by rescuing animals affected by the spill.
Elephant seals and California sea lions may not like being at SeaWorld San Diego’s Oiled Wildlife Care Center, the primary care facility for sea mammals covered in oil, but it offers their best chance for survival.
Jody Westberg, part of a team of people who have been working nonstop on the animals' behalf, pointed6 to two of the most severely7 oiled animals at the care site.
"This sea lion should be a beautiful reddish color," she said, "and what we’re actually seeing is little glimmering8 spots of that beautiful reddish tone of its fur, but the rest is coated in what looks like black tar9.”
Emotional battle
Westberg said the rescue effort is hard on the crew, "physically10, emotionally, mentally. We’re putting a lot of time effort and energy into getting these animals better, and to see them this impacted, you know, it breaks your heart a little bit.”
All the birds and animals need to be stabilized11 first, then washed, said SeaWorld San Diego veterinarian Todd Schmitt. “We want to wash [the oil] off them so they don’t continue to absorb it through their skin or continue to inhale12" the fumes13, which he said can damage their lungs and cause long-term effects. If a female absorbs the oil, her first pup afterward14 may not survive.
The oil spill is adding another layer of stress to the sea lions off California’s coast. There have been an unusually large number of the marine15 mammals, especially pups, washing up on beaches this year, starving and stranded16.
“There is not a food fish available, so they are scouring17 the environment to find any type of food that they can,” Schmitt said.
One of the oiled sea lions rescued at the San Diego facility died from sucking in regurgitated red tuna crabs18, which is not part of its normal diet. What caused the death of a second animal is still unknown.
“There’s a lot of animals that we may not be seeing that are part of this oil spill that are not being recovered, and they may be dying out at sea,” Schmitt said.
Sea birds, especially brown pelicans, are also feeling the effects of the oil spill. Their feathers normally trap a layer of air that insulates them and keeps them warm. But oil on the feathers destroys that insulation20, and the bird’s body temperature drops to a dangerous level.
The oil from the recent spill is heavy and difficult to wash off. But fortunately, veterinarians say, pelicans are hardy21 creatures.
Whether the rescuers care for seabirds or sea lions, their goal is the same: to get these animals cleaned, healthy and back into the wild.
1 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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2 pipeline | |
n.管道,管线 | |
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3 gauge | |
v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器 | |
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4 ecosystem | |
n.生态系统 | |
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5 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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6 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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7 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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8 glimmering | |
n.微光,隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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9 tar | |
n.柏油,焦油;vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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10 physically | |
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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11 stabilized | |
v.(使)稳定, (使)稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12 inhale | |
v.吸入(气体等),吸(烟) | |
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13 fumes | |
n.(强烈而刺激的)气味,气体 | |
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14 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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15 marine | |
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵 | |
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16 stranded | |
a.搁浅的,进退两难的 | |
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17 scouring | |
擦[洗]净,冲刷,洗涤 | |
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18 crabs | |
n.蟹( crab的名词复数 );阴虱寄生病;蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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19 pelicans | |
n.鹈鹕( pelican的名词复数 ) | |
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20 insulation | |
n.隔离;绝缘;隔热 | |
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21 hardy | |
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的 | |
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