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[Fred Wurtzel]

Turtles most affected animal from Mich. oil spill

By TIM MARTIN (AP) - 4 hours ago

MARSHALL, Mich. - It's easy to figure out which species is the dominant one
at a

wildlife rehabilitation center set up in the aftermath of the summer oil
spill in

southern Michigan.

Just read the small sign tacked to a temporary partition: "Welcome to
Snapperville,

a friendly suburb of Turtle Town."

Turtles make up close to 90 percent of the 2,300 animals captured and cared
for since

the late July oil spill that polluted the Kalamazoo River. And true to their
history,

the hard-shelled reptiles are proving to be resilient.

Rows of black rubber or gray steel bins at the center serve as temporary
homes to

turtles ranging from 6-ounce spotted turtles to 30-pound snappers.

Turtles ready for cleaning often are covered with mayonnaise to help loosen
the coating

of oil. They get detail work from a team of volunteers in white coats
toiling under

hot bright lights.

Toothbrushes and cotton swabs are among the most common tools used to clean
black,

hardened oil out of every nook and cranny.

About 99 percent of the turtles rescued have survived, a better rate than
for birds

and other wildlife contaminated by the pollution. Most of the turtles
already have

been cleaned, rehabilitated and returned to the wild in time for this
winter's hibernation.

"It's just the way they're designed," Chris Tabaka, a veterinarian at Binder
Park

Zoo near Battle Creek, said Wednesday at the rehab center set up by Enbridge
Inc.

"They've been through some things. They've been through the dinosaur ages.
They've

lived through thick and thin. They're incredibly tough animals."

The types of turtles affected by the Michigan oil spill can live up to 50 or
100

years, depending on the species. The vast majority should have decades yet
to live

even after their brush with the spill of at least 820,000 gallons of oil
near Marshall.

The rupture came on an Enbridge pipeline running from Griffith, Ind., to
Sarnia,

Ontario. The pipeline has restarted, but cleanup and wildlife rehabilitation
continues.

Roughly 300 turtles might remain in care at the rehab center all winter,
depending

on how many are discovered or released within the next few days. The
stragglers aren't

yet strong, active or heavy enough to be released for the winter
hibernation.

The turtles likely will be kept warm indoors through the winter so
caretakers can

better monitor their health.

Canada geese, ducks and muskrats are among the 36 species cared for after
the oil

spill. But turtles dominate the space inside the rehab center, which once
served

as a temporary administrative office and employee training center for a
nearby casino.

Nearly 300 volunteers have been trained to clean animals, donating a
combined 6,400

hours since the late July spill. That supports efforts from Enbridge
contractor Focus

Wildlife along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan
Department

of Natural Resources and Environment.

Ann Van Weelden, a volunteer, was cleaning her 129th turtle early Wednesday.

"I just really wanted to help in some way," she said.

Copyright C 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.