Current Events: New Zealand Oil Spill

Dead Seabird - Killed by the Oil

        There has been a massive oil spill in the sea around New Zealand recently.  Over 50 tons of oil has been released into the sea, and so far, only 10 tons have been removed.  Over 300 Defense Force personnel are working on getting rid of the oil, as well as specialists from Australia, the Netherlands, and the UK.  This oil spill is a big threat to the local oceanic wildlife of New Zealand.  Birds that depend on water for food, like penguins, swim through the oil and get it all over their feathers.  When they preen, they could get the oil into their system, and there is also a large risk that they will contaminate their chicks with it.  Birds like petrels, which don't swim in the water, but dive down to catch fish, will also be affected.  When they get oil in their feathers, it makes it harder for them to fly.  Orca whales, bottlenose dolphins, baleen whales, and beaked whales are also threatened as oil spills into their migratory routes.  Some animals, which are already endangered, are in the most danger from this oil spill.  If too many of them are wiped out, they may become extinct.  There are several volunteer groups working very hard at protecting and cleaning the animals that are being affected by the oil, but they can only do so much.

For more information, go to:  Oil Spill