Douglas Doneson
Early May…
With law school final exams a few days away, keeping up with current events was the last thing on my mind. But this past May, the BP oil spill was literally all over the place. Prior to transplanting to New Orleans for my summer internship, I applied to every volunteer site I could to help clean up oil covered wildlife, restore beaches, and clean the marshes. I expected to be busy every weekend cleaning oil-covered birds and being a part of an all-hand-on-deck effort. In reality, the HAZMAT training, BP certification, and paraprofessional experience kept many potential volunteers away. I did follow through however, and after completing the HAZMAT training and BP certification online (where I answered 3 or 4 questions about putting on gloves correctly and whether I knew what to do if I became dehydrated), I applied for the more demanding and risky volunteer positions such as handling and cleaning oil covered wildlife. As a former veterinary technician and zoo keeper I had paraprofessional training too. To my surprise, very few of my emails or phone calls were returned. Continue reading
Filed under: animal advocacy, animal ethics, animal law, animal welfare, environmental ethics, environmental law | Tagged: animal advocacy, animal law, animal suffering, animal welfare, beach restoration, birds, BP certification, BP oil spill, Cocodrie Louisiana, environmental advocacy, environmental ethics, environmental law, environmentalism, gulf oil spill, HAZMAT training, Louisiana, Louisiana Animal Response Team, National Resource Center, New Orleans, oil dispersants, oil spill, oil-covered birds, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research Center, wildlife | 8 Comments »
Animal Blawg 