Sticky death
Oil spills at sea kill millions of seabirds as they wander the seas during winter. Oil clogs a bird's feathers, making it unable to fly or keep warm. After the Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967, about 10,000 dead seabirds washed up on English beaches. Even worse spills have happened elsewhere. Scientists estimate that the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska killed between 90,000 and 270,000 sea birds. And we only ever find a small proportion of the victims. Up to 90 % of oiled birds probably drown and sink without ever being seen. Oil also kills other marine life, so in the long term it also damages the food chain that seabirds depend upon. |
