New Zealand Oil Spill Threatening Birds (VIDEO)

The leaking oil from a ship that hit a reef off the coast of New Zealand last week has started to wash up on shore, according to the Associated Press.

Fist-sized clumps have begun dotting the beaches near Mount Maunganui in northern New Zealand. The beaches have been closed to human swimmers, but the spill has already taken a toll on local wildlife.

According to the AP video below, a wildlife response center has been set up to clean oiled birds.

The Associated Press reports, "environmental officials said 53 birds were found dead and 17 were getting emergency treatment to remove oil from their feathers."

The Liberian-flagged Rena, which ran aground last Wednesday, has been leaking oil and diesel fuel ever since. The Maritime New Zealand agency believes the ship contains "about 1,700 metric tons of oil and 200 tons of diesel on board." Around 390 tons of it have already leaked into the Bay of Plenty, according to the Associated Press.

Rough seas have prevented crews from finishing the job of pumping oil from the foundering vessel.

WATCH:

Comments

[couldhavebeenher]

04:33 PM on 11/06/2011

omg! not this again! let's bring more attention to this issue: http://vimeo.com/31366988

[avg american]

09:02 AM on 10/12/2011

D@mnit.

[Charles Queen]

04:13 AM on 10/12/2011

Ya. I thinkit's pretty fare to say that that captain might as well go hanmg up his captains hat and uniform and start hunting for a new job because his boating career is definitely going to be over after the courts finish with him

[l78lancer]

09:51 PM on 10/13/2011

Whose court? What's the jurisdiction? Have you ever heard of any serious consequences resulting out of a mess like this in the past except for MAYBE Exon-Valdez, and that captain was a disaster waiting to happen.

I agree with you but I think it's pretty unlikely.

[Bob Metcalfe]

11:03 PM on 10/13/2011

Our territorial waters, well within 12 mile limit, so our jurisdiction. No death penalty though. But he's had his name supressed for fear of violence.

[limp]

10:49 PM on 10/11/2011

Life goes on. How many people died from bird flu and how many times have the beaches in Chicago and elsewhere been closed because of bird droppings.

[lw1]

01:30 AM on 10/12/2011

So you are suggesting killing all birds?

[NWBrunette]

01:43 AM on 10/12/2011

We'll be sure to route the spill to your backyard next time.

[brendaf031266]

09:47 PM on 10/11/2011

During the whole I NEVER sa an oily bird. Dont know what killed the two they showed...but it didnt seem to be oil.....jsut saying. I think it is ANOTHER ploy....an agenda excuse....yet again.

[lw1]

01:32 AM on 10/12/2011

That cross is nice - you sure are overloaded with compassion.

[theflyingtsunami]

01:47 AM on 10/12/2011

So, let me get your logic. Just b/c you have never seen an oiled bird, means that it did not happen??? Yes, they are just making this up and lying and the officials and officers trying to stop the oil from leaking from the ship, nor the people trying to prevent the oil from affecting wildlife are ALL just making this up.

What ploy and agenda is this?? Did you happen to watch the documentary about the oil spill in the gulf last year?? Do you have any common sense?? Why is it b/c people don't see or experience something directly, everyone else must be lying or have an agenda?? Give me a break.

[LolaM9259]

09:30 PM on 10/11/2011

Hmm Kill more birds and more marine life. Seems par for the course to me. Kill the earth and we cease to be. Just saying.

[Sigel]

12:08 AM on 10/12/2011

What does your "Just saying" add to your comment and what does it mean?
Your comment is just what you are saying.
We don't need your paranoid window dressing.

[lw1]

01:33 AM on 10/12/2011

But we need your judgement?

[bigmac0812]

03:48 AM on 10/12/2011

Maybe we should put you out there to swim and I'll say it was part of the good lord's plan and see how much you like it

[lifeandvictory]

08:30 PM on 10/11/2011

It's all planned people, believe it or don't believe it. You will see soon enough. Let me guess, instead of going for the awesome completely green methods of cleaning the oil, we will fill the waters again with the poisonous, deadly corexit . . planned !

[lulu0510]

07:23 PM on 10/11/2011

This shows the complete idiocy of not drilling for oil on the continental United States. Having to ship oil from overseas only inceases dramatically the occurences of oil spills in locations where it is almost impossible to save wildlife or provide other assistance. To those people who complain about the supposedly obscene profits of oil companies I say, If you believe that then go buy stock in the company.

[Jeavany]

12:47 AM on 10/12/2011

Ummm This was a cargo ship!
Not a fuel tanker.

[lulu0510]

11:10 AM on 10/14/2011

Oil is Oil from a tanker or a cargo ship. Why did the story make news ? Cargo ships are polluting every day. What about the ships garbage? . How many turtles died from eating plastic bottles?

[glockenspiel323]

01:09 AM on 10/12/2011

lulu - the obscene profits of the oil companies goes to their CEO's.
most of the shareholders/stockholders don't get all that much.
(except for the preferred shareholders/stockholders of course).

[Master-T]

03:47 PM on 10/11/2011

What about the fallout from the biggest oil spill in world history, right here in the US just a couple years ago? Oh right, I forgot. US citizens are forbidden to investigate. We can't even test our own waters, lest we be arrested by a private corporation's security goons: BP. A power vested in them by our own government, who want more than anything to sweep the damage under the carpet.

[yankeedoug1121]

08:28 PM on 10/11/2011

all the more reason to join the OCCUPY WALL STREET people. john lennon was right we gonna have one real soon !

[limp]

10:52 PM on 10/11/2011

Who was John Lennon? Must have been a renowned scholar that everyone looks up to.