Wildlife rehabilitationilitators are taking care of dozens of alligators, brushing their teeth and scrubbing their hides after a diesel fuel spill in New Orleans.
According to federal records, diesel poured into the area outside of New Orleans on December 27 after a severely corroded line broke.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said that by Friday, 33 of the 78 alligators that had been rescued had been cleaned and released into a national wildlife refuge.
Laura Carver, who became the department's oil spill coordinating officer in February, said it took eight people to clean the alligator.
The diesel spill in December had a high impact on wildlife compared to spills in Louisiana.
It is a new thing for us to rehabilitate that many alligators at once.
She said a hard piece of wood is used to hold the alligator's jaw open while it is cleaned.
The teeth cleaning is part of a series of body washes that use Dawn dish detergent to clean off gunk. They wash their mouths with soap. Carver said it was the only thing that worked.
She said the spill went into two artificial ponds and the smaller one was completely covered in diesel.
The majority of the ponds have been recovered and the contractors for the operator are working on plans to deal with the contaminated soil.
According to federal records, the subsidiary of New Jersey-based PBF Energy knew about the problem with the pipe at the site of the spill. Repairs were delayed after a second inspection showed the problem wasn't bad enough to require immediate attention. The company planned to start work later this month after waiting for permits, according to the records.
The Gulf Coast is at risk of spills from oil and gas lines, according to a spokesman for the nonprofit Healthy Gulf.
He said in an email that it was time to review the vulnerability of the oil and gas infrastructure and begin the process of repairing and removing rust buckets.
The fish were killed in two pits that were once excavated for construction. Carver said that most were minnows and bait fish.
The federal records show that cannons have been set up in the area to keep birds and animals away.
Carver said that most of the alligators were brought in within two weeks of the spill.
More than 100 animals were found dead.
Three of the 23 live birds were found, but only three survived the diesel and cold weather. She said two have been released and a third is still being treated.
Carver said the department euthanized more than one alligator. She said they were in rough shape.
Carver said that birds and smaller animals get their mouths cleaned when they're captured or brought in.
Federal records show that Collins notified authorities the night of December 27th after shutting down the line because meters indicated a likely break.
The investigation is continuing, so Langley had no comment about whether the department considers that time lapse a problem.
The department's enforcement division may be asked if any environmental regulations were broken once the investigation is complete, he wrote in an email Friday.
Langley said the Louisiana oil spill office is leading the state investigation. The office didn't return a call for comment Friday.
11 babies are less than 18 inches (46 centimeters) long.
Carver said that Gators have to wait for their cleaning until all the polluted food has left their system.
Each of the babies has its own kiddie pool within a plywood enclosure.
The larger gators like to climb so the fencing doesn't work.
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Brown reported from Montana.
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