New Zealand oil spill a wake-up call

WWF Canada

The current total number of dead wildlife stands at 2,066 after the Rena oil spill in New Zealand. But WWF-New Zealand says that’s a tiny fraction of the true figure killed, and the tragedy should act as a wake up call for government.

c. Bob Zuur / WWF-Canon
WWF-Zealand adds that the recent proposed legislation for that country’s offshore environment does little to protect wildlife from future oil spills.
“The true number of wildlife killed by the spill will be far greater than the numbers recovered – the corpses the teams are collecting are the tip of the iceberg, and of course the number of animals affected by the spill is greater still,” says WWF-New Zealand Marine Programme manager, Rebecca Bird.  “Our main concern remains the long term impacts of the oil spill on the environment.
The latest release of oil occurred during a significant storm, so oiled birds would have drowned more quickly and many will disappear from view. The vessel breaking up, discharging more oil and harming more wildlife clearly puts more pressure on an already damaged environment.”
The glimmer of hope lies in the recovery efforts, which WWF says are “world class” and led by the National Oiled Wildlife Recovery Team co-ordinated by Maritime New Zealand. “The teams out in the field recovering wildlife affected by the spill and those at the recovery centre caring for and restoring the animals to health have worked tirelessly,” says Bird.

c. Bob Zuur / WWF-Canon
WWF-Zealand says the government’s draft legislation for environmental controls in the country’s offshore environment does little to prevent future spills killing more wildlife, and will allow petroleum development in areas that are so significant for wildlife, they should be never be exploited.
WWF is calling on the New Zealand government to protect areas important for wildlife, and strengthen the legislation, reducing the risk of spills happening.
Here’s what you can do: Share this blog post and video on the remaining threats to wildlife to help spread the word.