Louisiana Oil Slick Source Identified (Video) *Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners spills oil in Gulf of Mexico*

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Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners Oil Spill 2011 in Louisiana

Louisiana Oil Slick Source Identified: Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners

The U.S. Coast Guard and/or Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have traced the latest oil spill that is washing up on the Louisiana coast to Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners and a well-capping accident at their Platform E, West Delta Block 117. Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners expressed "surprise" and had previously reported 5 barrels had been spilled. The reporting of oil discharges operates on an "honor code" with oil companies and oil companies are "trusted" to turn themselves in. Obviously much more than 5 barrels, a pittance, has been spilled and is washing up on 30+ miles of Louisiana coast line. [Editor's Note: Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners in truth were surprised at getting caught and apparently the name of the regulatory game is to under report spills and hope for the best, i.e., that the discharge will go unnoticed.]

Newsy Videos "Another Spill in the Gulf"

Almost a year after the British Petroleum spill -- more oil in the Gulf. This time, it's not a BP problem, but a leak from an oil company based in Texas. Yahoo! News reveals the company responsible. "Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners issued a statement last night expressing 'surprise' that what it claimed was a minor leak from a well that's been out of use for some time could have produced miles-long slicks..."

Yahoo! News points out the incident could have gone unreported, saying America's reporting system for spills operates on an honor code -- where companies are trusted to turn themselves in. So how did it happen? A writer for The Times-Picayune says the company was in the process of permanently plugging the well. And... "...it was the 12th well it owned in the area to undergo plugging and abandonment operations. All of those wells were shut in after Hurricane Katrina caused damage to platforms and haven't produced any oil since..."

The Associated Press discovered tens of thousands of abandoned wells just like the one that leaked -- all accidents waiting to happen. And the blog Treehugger says the way the company responded is a common problem. "Its initial estimate of how much oil leaked out? 5 gallons. Ah, yes -- yet another entry into the rich legacy of oil companies comically underestimating their spills. You'd have to spread 5 gallons worth of oil pretty thin to get it to stretch out for 30 miles." Thirty miles doesn't compare to the thousands and thousands of miles of oil from last year's spill - but NBC reports it's not something to take lightly.

"For the people of Louisiana who'd really hoped they'd turned the corner following last year's BP oil spill the sight of more boom on the beach is really stomach turning." Beaches in the area that were just returning to normal now have to deal with a new oil problem all over again. WWL spoke with a volunteer fire chief. "We fought through the whole spill to protect what we could and we accomplished something here and we don't want to lose it. That's the most important thing."

Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners Oil Spill 2011

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Mystery Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico (Video) *Oil once again hits Louisiana coast*

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Port Fourchon Hit by Oil Slick in 2011
PORT FOURCHON, LA - MAY 28, 2010: U.S. President Barack Obama picks up balls of tar while touring the beach at Port Fourchon May 28, 2010 in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The oil spill resulting from the Deepwater Horizon disaster now officially ranks as the worst in U.S. history. (Photo: Life.com)

Mystery Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico

NBC News is reporting "fresh signs of oil in the waters off Louisiana." First reports of oil and an oil sheen began this past weekend. The U.S. Coast Guard stated "it is definitely Gulf crude" but the source is unknown. Is it from the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill or from another well that is leaking? Oil is once again coming ashore on the Louisiana coast. Cleanup crews are attempting to contain the oil at the shoreline with booms on the beach. Large areas of water are covered with an "oil sheen". Shrimpers have said the oil slick extends 40-50 miles and possibly up to 100 miles. One shrimper said he traveled for 10 hours in his boat in the oil slick. The oil is currently washing up from Caminada Bay to Port Fourchon which is 15 - 30 miles of coast line. 

NBC Nightly News "Fresh Oil Hits Louisiana Coast"  Reports of a new oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico have created alarm in the same areas devastated by last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

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Dead Baby Dolphins at the Gulf of Mexico (Videos) *BP Gulf Oil Spill & Catastrophe Update*

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Baby Bottlenose Dolphin dead on beach at Gulf of Mexico (2011)
BP marine life massacre continues

Dead Dolphins at the Gulf of Mexico

*BP Gulf Oil Spill Update*

The BP Gulf Oil Spill is not over just because the mass media left and BP launched a massive advertising campaign to spin "all is well". A previous post, "BP Gulf Oil Impact Update: Everything is Dead" reported on the U.S. Navy stating there was "little sign of life" near the spill site. The BP marine life massacre continues as the devastating and deadly effects of the BP Gulf Oil Spill continue washing up carcasses on the beaches. And that is only what carnage can be seen from shore and doesn't include the massacre continuing underwater and on the sea floor.

Dead Dolphins Wash Up on Beach In the first video below, the Associated Press reports from the Mississippi Gulf Coast that an alarming number of dead baby dolphins are being washed up on shore. "Is last year's BP Gulf Oil Spill having lingering effects?". Dr. Moby Salangi, Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, says regarding all these dead baby dolphins, "It could be the environment, weather, their fisheries, some changes in their food habits, it could be a cyclical change. We are going to do the forensic studies, we are going to do the necropsy, the pathology, the toxicology, and try to get to the bottom of it." Megan Broadway, a researcher, is taking samples of the layers of fat, "A lot of toxic chemicals and heavy metals can become trapped in that layer, so that's a good indicator of what they (the dead dolphins) have been exposed to in their life." So far at least 28 dead dolphins have been found in Mississippi and Alabama in 2011 (as of February 23), "but this is far ahead of the 2010 pace, when a total of 89 were reported for all of last year." In addition, a beached whale has been spotted in Texas. "Scientists note this is all happening early in the birthing season which gets into full swing next month (March)." NOAA has stated they are also monitoring the situation.

Toxic Mix of Oil and Dispersant In the second video below, Jerry Cope, in a short film, reports at Orange Beach, Alabama on the Gulf Coast, "Mayor Tony Kennon is tired of hearing about the oil spill and reminded journalists how much tax revenue depends beach tourism. As unprecedented numbers of dolphins wash up dead on the beaches. Marketing kicks into high gear for Spring Break and Summer Tourists. The toxic mix of oil and dispersant is everywhere on the Gulf Coast. Graphic images of dead dolphins on the beach are then provided. Captain Lori DeAngelis of Dolphin Queen Cruises explains the carcass of a dead dolphin on the beach, "most notably, it's (the carcass) is black on the upper side. The top side of the body is all black. That is not the normal coloration for a bottlenose dolphin. The skin is most definitely burned. This is a really bad sign for what's going on in the waters out there. Our entire food chain within the Gulf of Mexico is affected, there's no denying that. NOAA has declared this an 'unusual mortality event' as this is a highly unusual number of (dead) dolphins washing ashore. I think we have a lot more coming". With upwards of 100 dead dolphins already washed up on shore in 2011 and an estimated 5,000 dolphins living in the Gulf of Mexico, "that's getting to be a high number". Ms. DeAngelis continues, "Obviously there has been great effect to the dolphin community and to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico from the Deep Horizon Spill. Let's say Catastrophe, not Spill, because a Spill would have been able to be cleaned up but this is beyond that now."

Associated Press "More Dead Dolphins in the Gulf Raises Questions" Scientists have found four more dead baby dolphins on Horn Island in the Mississippi Gulf of Mexico and another on Ono Island off Orange Beach, Ala., adding to the unusually high number of dead dolphins found in the past two months.



Jerry Cope "More Dead Dolphins Wash Up On Orange Beach Alabama" 4 More Dead Dolphins Wash Onshore on the Gulf Coast This One In Orange Beach Alabama. As Marketing Wratches Up For Spring Break and The Summer Tourist Season. Captain Lori DeAngelis of Dolphin Queen Cruises Examines the Remains On A Beach Covered With Fresh Highly Toxic Crude. Some of the light marks you see are shark bites, but this poor guy was covered in oil/dispersant and did not taste good.

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Rare Javan Rhinos Recorded on Camera (Video) *Critically Endangered: 40+ rhinos remaining*

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Javan or Sundan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)

Rare Javan Rhinos Recorded on Camera

A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) effort has captured critically endangered Javan rhinos on camera trap video. WWF estimates the worldwide population of Javan rhinos at "40-60 in Ujung Kulon National Park, Java, Indonesia; no more than 8 in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. The Javan (or lesser one-horned) rhino is on the brink of extinction. Fewer than 60 individuals are thought to survive in the wild, and there are none in captivity." The species was once widespread throughout southeast Asia.

The 2 rhinos (mothers and cub) in the video below were recorded in the dense tropical rain forest of Ujung Kulon National Park, Java, Indonesia. (Original report stated 2 mothers and 2 cubs, but apparently changed later to 1 mother and 1 cub) This evidence of breeding gives hope for the sustainability of the species. Besides habitat destruction by deforestation, poaching is a danger for these rhinos. The horns are desired in traditional Chinese medicine and can be worth up to $30,000 per kilogram on the black market.

The Indonesian government has stated their desire to make the Ujung Kulon National Park into a Javan Rhino conservation park. A spokesman said, "It shows that this population is breeding. In the last 10 years we have found 12 babies that have been captured by the cameras. It gives us hope for the rhinos' future."

Reuters "Rare Rhinos Captured on Camera" Hidden cameras in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park film a rare endangered Javan Rhino mother with her calves. Gemma Haines reports.



World Wildlife Fund: Help Protect Javan Rhinos
There are as few as 40 Javan rhinos left in the world, making it one of the rarest large mammal species. Poaching, disease, and the very real threat of a tsunami or a volcanic eruption could wipe out the entire population in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon Park.

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