There's finally been some good news from Louisiana. BP have put a new cap on the well that's been spewing oil into the gulf of mexico since April and for now it's almost stopped the flow of oil. But the disaster is far from over. Wildlife workers are still working flat out trying to save animals affected by the huge amount of oil that's floating on the water. So why is oil so deadly to animals?
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Sea turtles don't get an easy start to life. The mother will lay dozens of eggs and once they hatch the tiny babies will have to fend for themselves. Only about 1 percent will make it to adulthood. Except in the oil-strewn Gulf Of Mexico the hatchlings would have almost no chance at all.
DIANNE INGRAM, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: The oil floats, gets caught up in the same currents that the hatchlings would be. So they would be, they would end up right where most of the oil is now.
Wildlife rescuers are carefully collecting turtle eggs on the Louisiana coast so when they hatch they can be moved to cleaner waters. It's really delicate work. If the eggs are moved too much or turned upside down, the baby inside will die but conservationists say this is their best chance.
DIANNE INGRAM: But knowing that whatever would crawl to the water this year likely wouldn't survive at all, we feel any that we could save by taking to the Atlantic is what we need to do."
Turtles are one of the many species threatened by the oil. Anything that lives in or around the ocean is at risk and oil can kill in many different ways. If animals swallow oil it can cause stomach ulcers and damage their internal organs. Fish can mistake the floating oil for food and eat it then if another animal eats too many poisoned fish it can be poisoned too. If it gets into an animals' eyes it can cause an infection. and if they go blind they can't find food. And if lots of small animals die it disrupts the food chain meaning bigger animals don't have as much to eat. And for birds even just getting oil on your feathers can be deadly.
REPORTER: Seabirds have special waterproof feathers that help them float and regulate their body temperature but once they're coated in oil they can't swim or fly or keep warm. And once oil's on something its really hard to get off. Water does nothing.
To save these animals rescuers have to wash them in soapy water. The soap cuts through the grease but every feather has to be totally oil-free. Oil-covered turtles get a similar treatment and here at a New Orleans zoo kids are learning how to gently scrub an oily shell. These turtles are only plastic but the zoo keepers reckon its important to inspire a new generation of animal rescuers.
LAINEY, 9: I think I've learned that taking care of the animals that got hurt by the oil is very important
These kids could be seeing the effects of the spill for a long time to come. It could be months or even years until the environment recovers. Until then the clean-up will continue. The oil company responsible has already spent billions of dollars on plugging the leak and mopping up. But it's going to take a whole lot more money and time before the job's done.
Extra Info reported on 27/07/2010 in episode 19