"It was overwhelming. Nothing can prepare you for what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico. You have to see it to get your head around it," said Ed Clark, President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. He spent six days in the Gulf in helicopters and boats, getting views from air and sea. "This spill is enormous."
Clark says the point of his trip was to observe the clean up and rescue efforts, and to document what needs to be changed. He spoke with hundreds of BP contractors and federal employees, who he says are working around the clock to keep on top of the spill. "When the animals that are oiled make it to these centers they're getting the finest care in the world by top professionals."
He did, however, notice one major thing missing. "Nobody has the job of going out to look for these injured and oiled wild animals. The animals are brought in by people doing other things."
Clark told us he was frustrated at the lack of access for wildlife experts who are not federal employees. "If a federal employee can learn to do it safely those of us that work with wildlife on a regular basis can learn to do it well if not better."
He plans to use the next several weeks to figure out how to go about getting extra human resources down to the Gulf to assist with the spill.
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