June 12, 2010
A group of concerned citizens working with the World Animal Awareness Society on the "All Eyes on the Gulf Expedition" have come to Louisiana to find oil-covered animals, such as this snowy egret, and report them to a hotline for wildlife rescue. The same group is documenting the damage from the Deepwater Horizon spill for a blog and film. Jeff Dorsen, a member of the Humane Society of Louisiana, expressed the region's general sentiment: "Our hearts are broken."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 11, 2010
Heavy oil pools near the marshes of Bay Jimmy, La., affect the fishing industry and wildlife. "There are no birds here, the quiet is just so eerie," said Sister Michael Marie, who came to aid the "All Eyes on the Gulf Expedition" in partnership with Kinship Circle and the World Animal Awareness Society.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 13, 2010
Breton Island, La., has been surrounded by protective booms in an effort to save the fragile habitat of nesting birds, such as these pelicans, from approaching oil.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 12, 2010
Oil surrounds a surfacing Portuguese man-of-war in the waters near South Pass, La. The Deepwater Horizon spill has taken an emotional toll on many people, with some describing the damage in the Gulf of Mexico as a "sacred loss" of fragile environments and endangered species.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 5, 2010
A sea turtle surfaces to feed on a Portuguese man-of-war, which was contaminated by oil. "It's like the world is dying before my eyes and it's very, very hard to watch it...It's like I'm in a dream you know, just pinch me and make me wake up," said Darlene Eschete
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 10, 2010
A woman holds up a sign during a news conference at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, where sea turtles rescued from the oil spill are being rehabilitated.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 10, 2010
A sea turtle is treated at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 18, 2010
Stephen "Chip" Ratley, a field biologist with the Matrix Institute, searches for oiled birds with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 12, 2010
An oil-covered snowy egret perches on a rope before being rescued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service near Grand Isle, La. The bird was transported to a rehabilitation facility but did not survive.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 12, 2010
Michael Pixley, right, rescues an oil-covered snowy egret near Grand Isle, La., with Matrix field biologist Erin Evertsen, left.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 18, 2010
Oil-covered baby pelicans perch on an island in Barataria Bay, La., home to thousands of nesting birds. Protective booms surround the island, but oil has managed to seep into the fragile environment. "I feel like this is the apocalypse...The only thing that gives me hope is that with every great disaster comes a great awakening," said Summer Burkes, activist
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries rescue baby pelicans affected by a new wave of oil on Queen Bess Island, La. Setting foot on the island disturbs nesting birds, but biologists deemed the mission necessary due to the severe oiling of chicks.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
Louisiana State University veterinary student Rachel Clement works with Eric Liffman to examine an oiled bird before it is taken to a rehabilitation center in Fort Jackson, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
A severely oiled gull is examined at a stabilization site before being transported to a rehabilitation center in Fort Jackson, La. "I go to sleep at night and I hear them calling," says Donna Gee, a resident of Lafayette, La., who is working at Fort Jackson. "Their spirits are frightened."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 16, 2010
Sister Michael Marie from Ohio, who is working with the animal awareness society Kinship Circle, looks over the water in Grand Isle, La. A former veterinary technician, the nun is part of a team working with the World Animal Awareness Society on the "All Eyes on the Gulf Expedition," searching for oil-covered animals and reporting them to a rescue hotline. "They're all God's creatures," she said.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
A sign in Grand Isle, La., reflects someone's thoughts about how the oil is affecting sea creatures.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 12, 2010
A team with the "All Eyes on the Gulf Expedition" is documenting the impact of the oil spill on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 13, 2010
Cheri Deatsch and Sister Michael Marie arrive for an interfaith blessing-of-the-animals prayer service on Grand Isle, La. Deatsch, a New Orleans native, also participated in animal rescue programs during Hurricane Katrina.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 13, 2010
Maya Morris is comforted by a kiss from Katya Becnel during an animal blessing service organized by the Humane Society of Louisiana in Grand Isle. Jeff Dorsen of the Humane Society said animals are "drowning and suffering before our very eyes and for somebody like me and you who loves animals, these events harm and hurt our soul and spirit."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 13, 2010
Rose Portier, a minister from Baton Rouge, looks over her notes for the prayer service on Grand Isle beach. "You're a steward of the earth which is what God intended for us to all be. So to deny these people their stewardship you might as well cut their hearts still beating out of their chests," said Summer Burkes, an activist attending the blessing.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 13, 2010
People observe a moment of silence at an interfaith blessing-of-the-animals service on Grand Isle beach, La. "There's no place like home. Home is where your heart is. To me, my home is there and it's full of oil now. And there is no way that anybody can make me whole again," said Darlene Eschete, far right.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 13, 2010
"We've made such a mess of it," Sister Michael Marie said of the oil spill's effect on wildlife.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 13, 2010
Megan Lenore, left, Roger Ivens and Carolyn Jan pray for the animals in Grand Isle, La. "You have to take a stand for something and this is my stand. It's not going to save the whole island, it's not going to save the whole Gulf, but if we save one bird, it was all worth it. Just one breathing animal," said Darlene Eschete.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 12, 2010
Crosses bear words such as "Fishing," "Our Soul" and "The Beach," symbolizing the deep loss felt by residents of Grand Isle, La. "There is nothing they can do that will replace what we've lost. Our heritage, our culture is pretty much being torn apart...We're very resilient people but this has destroyed everything we know. You cannot recreate God's creation. It's gone," weeps Darlene Eschete. "I know that the country is hurting like we are."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 18, 2010
Elizabeth Bell of Covington, La., performs a medical exam on an oiled pelican at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. Donna Gee, who also works at the Fort Jackson center, recounts the difficult loss when a pelican dies: "He had Frank Sinatra blue eyes. He was gorgeous but in looking at his eyes you knew that he was very tired and his body temperature was very low, which told us he was in a lot of distress. Finally, my friend was holding him and she felt him take about four more breaths and he passed away."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
Eli Landry, a Louisiana State University veterinary student, carries a pelican for a wash at Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. "I'm down here because I love animals. I guess it's in my heart," Landry said. "It's sad, they come here to mate and land in a mess."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
An oiled pelican is examined at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. "We're hot and tired and miserable but I can go home," one worker said. "... They don't know where their next meals are going to come from or where they're going to go home to."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
Staff members from the International Bird Rescue Research Center and Tri-State Bird Rescue work at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La., to help animals affected by the oil spill.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 11, 2010
A worker washes an oil-covered pelican at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 18, 2010
A bird is washed at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. Doris Duncan, executive director of Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue in California, came to help in Louisiana: "When it's all over we will be able to say. 'Wow, we really made a difference.' Sometimes it's so sad for me, I think: How can I wash one more bird? Then I go by the cages and they look up at me so pitiful and I say, 'Yeah, I can crank out one more.' "
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
Max Salamder of the International Bird Rescue Research Center and Karen Wolfsheimer, a veterinarian from the Louisiana State Animal Rescue team, clean a bird at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. Wolfsheimer had tears in her eyes as she said, "We've not quite recovered from Katrina and a lot of us were involved with animal rescue there. It's a life-altering experience and renews my faith in mankind." Salamder compared the animal rescue effort to a "slow-release holocaust." She said, "It's really, really emotional. If you spend a week with a little tern and he is really feisty, doing well and he crashes. ... I almost cried and now he's flying. It's like a roller coaster."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
A baby pelican is wrapped in a towel at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
At the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La., birds are separated into categories. Rescuer Donna Gee describes her emotions after the death of a bird: "It was hard and it was sad but we also knew there was another room full of birds waiting for us to get in and help, so you just kind of squish down that lump in your throat and you grab the next bird and you hope that you can help the next one."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 21, 2010
A clean pelican spreads its wings at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
Kelly Berry, right, and Erin Kellogg, wrangle pelicans scheduled to be released from the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. "Just knowing they're going back into the wild ... all the sweat and dirt, it makes it worth it for that moment," Kellogg said.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
Gloves hang to dry at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
Melanie Reed, a Louisiana State University veterinary student, takes a break from cleanup work at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
Donna Gee, a member of the Louisiana State Animal Rescue Team from Lafayette, weeps as she looks upon oil-covered birds at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center. "Their eyes are so soulful. You look into the deepest, darkest parts of them and they're frightened and scared and they're very sad. ...You get in bed at night and they just call you. You just can't not listen."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 22, 2010
After working all day with rescued birds, Donna Gee spends time photographing unaffected birds at sunset near the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center. "We take care of each other and we nourish each others spirits because I feel like the birds know when we're kind of down. So it's all about trying to keep the worst lifted up a little bit."
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 23, 2010
Coast Guard cargo planes carried 62 pelicans to their new home at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas after treatment at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 23, 2010
A Coast Guard plane in New Orleans is loaded with pelicans to be released back into the wild.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 23, 2010
Load master Stephen Perusin, left, and drop master Chad Merrick fly in a Coast Guard cargo plane carrying 62 pelicans to their new home at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 23, 2010
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workers release pelicans into the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Rockport, Tex. "They're flying out regularly to new homes so you know hopefully that will make them peaceful again....To watch them go and know that there are pelicans alive because we were here at this time and this place," said Donna Gee.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
June 23, 2010
A pelican, now cleaned of oil, glides over the water at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge in Texas. "At least they can fly now," Sister Michael Marie said.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
Gallery Credits:
Text Editor Milos Balac
