katrina took a toll on animals

September 6, 2005

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3338746

Katrina took a toll on animals, too

They get no early warnings or evacuation orders, and they don't get rescued by helicopters. When nature roars its loudest, as it did with Hurricane Katrina, the animals we bundle under the catchall heading of "wildlife" are on their own.

There clearly and justifiably are higher priorities now along the central Gulf Coast than dealing with wildlife, and that situation will not change in many communities for months. As normalcy wraps its comforting arms around the region again, as people return to whatever remains of their storm-battered homes and towns, they will notice the deep impact of this event on everything else that lived where they lived.

Millions of animals are dead.

Birds' fragile feathers and hollow bones are not designed for flight in hurricane-force wind, and their feet could not have held fast to any limb through the worst of it. Most birds that didn't ride the earliest gusts to safety probably were battered to death.

Land mammals, the raccoons and squirrels and rabbits and coyotes and nutrias and rats and foxes and on and on, likely fared no better. Many were killed by rising water or falling debris. Some that survived Katrina's unmerciful pounding found themselves swimming when the chaos abated, paddling with legs and feet not designed for the task, until their bodies could not take another stroke. In areas where rooftops provide refuge from flooding, animals clinging to shingles might die from starvation.

Even a good percentage of Louisiana's trademark alligators, creatures virtually indestructible and unchanged through thousands of years, will be gone. Even they are vulnerable to cataclysm.

Survival of the fittest As water recedes and debris is carried away, there will come stories of hope for wildlife just as for people. Survivors of every species will surface in areas where rescuers surveyed the hurricane's wrath and presumed there could be none.

Southeast Louisiana never was a "soft" environment. It was and is a vital marsh, an area not especially suited to human habitation but so rich in natural resources that there are only a handful of similar places in the entire world.

The fittest of the animals there — of the herons and seagulls and raccoons and alligators — survived Katrina and all she threw at them. It will be they, the strongest, that replenish this region. That's how it works. That's how it always has worked.

"I think we might be surprised how many animals survived," said Buddy Oaks, who has called southern Louisiana home for 30 years. "They're smarter than a lot of humans."

Fisheries will be impacted by Katrina, as well.

As floodwater recedes, fish washed inland by storm surge might have difficulty finding their way out. There won't be as much water in which to navigate, channels will be clogged, and survival will depend on their ability to relocate suitable environments and food sources quickly.

Former nursery areas for shrimp, crabs and the region's wide variety of finfish were annihilated. Others were created. Marine life will adjust.

A study in balance After Tropical Storm Allison camped over Houston, I called Stephen Sloan, then a technician for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, to discuss that rainmaker's impact on bay life. He described marine organisms as "highly resilient" but not invincible.

That assessment remains accurate today, for marine and terrestrial life. In the wild, it seems, individual lives aren't valued so highly as survival of the species, and nature has a way of boosting reproduction after disasters.

Behind 1989's freeze across coastal Texas, which nearly collapsed speckled trout populations in many bays, there came many favorable recruitment years and a long run — 16 years now — of mild winters. Trout rebounded.

Avian cholera killed many snow geese a while back; that population has flourished since.

Nature is a study in balance.

In coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the environment is rich and capable of supporting tremendous amounts of wildlife.

In time, it will again.

Doug Pike covers the outdoors for the Chronicle and hosts Inside the Outdoors from 7-10 a.m. Saturdays on 790 AM. doug.pike.

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September 6, 2005

the chemical spills are gonna impact the region for decades...

and, as the waters recede, a toxic chemical soup is gonna be left behind....

"zurumato" Sep 6, 2005 7:31 AM Vegan_Animal_Rights , veganchat katrina took a toll on animals http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3338746

Katrina took a toll on animals, too

Wildlife will require time to bounce back

They get no early warnings or evacuation orders, and they don't get rescued by helicopters. When nature roars its loudest, as it did with Hurricane Katrina, the animals we bundle under the catchall heading of "wildlife" are on their own.

--> There clearly and justifiably are higher priorities now along the central Gulf Coast than dealing with wildlife, and that situation will not change in many communities for months. As normalcy wraps its comforting arms around the region again, as people return to whatever remains of their storm-battered homes and towns, they will notice the deep impact of this event on everything else that lived where they lived.

Millions of animals are dead.

Birds' fragile feathers and hollow bones are not designed for flight in hurricane-force wind, and their feet could not have held fast to any limb through the worst of it. Most birds that didn't ride the earliest gusts to safety probably were battered to death.

Land mammals, the raccoons and squirrels and rabbits and coyotes and nutrias and rats and foxes and on and on, likely fared no better. Many were killed by rising water or falling debris. Some that survived Katrina's unmerciful pounding found themselves swimming when the chaos abated, paddling with legs and feet not designed for the task, until their bodies could not take another stroke. In areas where rooftops provide refuge from flooding, animals clinging to shingles might die from starvation.

Even a good percentage of Louisiana's trademark alligators, creatures virtually indestructible and unchanged through thousands of years, will be gone. Even they are vulnerable to cataclysm.

Survival of the fittest As water recedes and debris is carried away, there will come stories of hope for wildlife just as for people. Survivors of every species will surface in areas where rescuers surveyed the hurricane's wrath and presumed there could be none.

Southeast Louisiana never was a "soft" environment. It was and is a vital marsh, an area not especially suited to human habitation but so rich in natural resources that there are only a handful of similar places in the entire world.

The fittest of the animals there of the herons and seagulls and raccoons and alligators survived Katrina and all she threw at them. It will be they, the strongest, that replenish this region. That's how it works. That's how it always has worked.

"I think we might be surprised how many animals survived," said Buddy Oaks, who has called southern Louisiana home for 30 years. "They're smarter than a lot of humans."

Fisheries will be impacted by Katrina, as well.

As floodwater recedes, fish washed inland by storm surge might have difficulty finding their way out. There won't be as much water in which to navigate, channels will be clogged, and survival will depend on their ability to relocate suitable environments and food sources quickly.

Former nursery areas for shrimp, crabs and the region's wide variety of finfish were annihilated. Others were created. Marine life will adjust.

A study in balance After Tropical Storm Allison camped over Houston, I called Stephen Sloan, then a technician for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, to discuss that rainmaker's impact on bay life. He described marine organisms as "highly resilient" but not invincible.

That assessment remains accurate today, for marine and terrestrial life. In the wild, it seems, individual lives aren't valued so highly as survival of the species, and nature has a way of boosting reproduction after disasters.

Behind 1989's freeze across coastal Texas, which nearly collapsed speckled trout populations in many bays, there came many favorable recruitment years and a long run 16 years now of mild winters. Trout rebounded.

Avian cholera killed many snow geese a while back; that population has flourished since.

Nature is a study in balance.

In coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the environment is rich and capable of supporting tremendous amounts of wildlife.

In time, it will again.

Doug Pike covers the outdoors for the Chronicle and hosts Inside the Outdoors from 7-10 a.m. Saturdays on 790 AM. doug.pike.

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September 6, 2005

Not to mention many rotting corpses .

The Valley Vegan..........fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:

the chemical spills are gonna impact the region for decades...

and, as the waters recede, a toxic chemical soup is gonna be left behind....

"zurumato" Sep 6, 2005 7:31 AM Vegan_Animal_Rights , veganchat katrina took a toll on animals http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3338746

Katrina took a toll on animals, too

Wildlife will require time to bounce back

They get no early warnings or evacuation orders, and they don't get rescued by helicopters. When nature roars its loudest, as it did with Hurricane Katrina, the animals we bundle under the catchall heading of "wildlife" are on their own.

--> There clearly and justifiably are higher priorities now along the central Gulf Coast than dealing with wildlife, and that situation will not change in many communities for months. As normalcy wraps its comforting arms around the region again, as people return to whatever remains of their storm-battered homes and towns, they will notice the deep impact of this event on everything else that lived where they lived.

Millions of animals are dead.

Birds' fragile feathers and hollow bones are not designed for flight in hurricane-force wind, and their feet could not have held fast to any limb through the worst of it. Most birds that didn't ride the earliest gusts to safety probably were battered to death.

Land mammals, the raccoons and squirrels and rabbits and coyotes and nutrias and rats and foxes and on and on, likely fared no better. Many were killed by rising water or falling debris. Some that survived Katrina's unmerciful pounding found themselves swimming when the chaos abated, paddling with legs and feet not designed for the task, until their bodies could not take another stroke. In areas where rooftops provide refuge from flooding, animals clinging to shingles might die from starvation.

Even a good percentage of Louisiana's trademark alligators, creatures virtually indestructible and unchanged through thousands of years, will be gone. Even they are vulnerable to cataclysm.

Survival of the fittest As water recedes and debris is carried away, there will come stories of hope for wildlife just as for people. Survivors of every species will surface in areas where rescuers surveyed the hurricane's wrath and presumed there could be none.

Southeast Louisiana never was a "soft" environment. It was and is a vital marsh, an area not especially suited to human habitation but so rich in natural resources that there are only a handful of similar places in the entire world.

The fittest of the animals there — of the herons and seagulls and raccoons and alligators — survived Katrina and all she threw at them. It will be they, the strongest, that replenish this region. That's how it works. That's how it always has worked.

"I think we might be surprised how many animals survived," said Buddy Oaks, who has called southern Louisiana home for 30 years. "They're smarter than a lot of humans."

Fisheries will be impacted by Katrina, as well.

As floodwater recedes, fish washed inland by storm surge might have difficulty finding their way out. There won't be as much water in which to navigate, channels will be clogged, and survival will depend on their ability to relocate suitable environments and food sources quickly.

Former nursery areas for shrimp, crabs and the region's wide variety of finfish were annihilated. Others were created. Marine life will adjust.

A study in balance After Tropical Storm Allison camped over Houston, I called Stephen Sloan, then a technician for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, to discuss that rainmaker's impact on bay life. He described marine organisms as "highly resilient" but not invincible.

That assessment remains accurate today, for marine and terrestrial life. In the wild, it seems, individual lives aren't valued so highly as survival of the species, and nature has a way of boosting reproduction after disasters.

Behind 1989's freeze across coastal Texas, which nearly collapsed speckled trout populations in many bays, there came many favorable recruitment years and a long run — 16 years now — of mild winters. Trout rebounded.

Avian cholera killed many snow geese a while back; that population has flourished since.

Nature is a study in balance.

In coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the environment is rich and capable of supporting tremendous amounts of wildlife.

In time, it will again.

Doug Pike covers the outdoors for the Chronicle and hosts Inside the Outdoors from 7-10 a.m. Saturdays on 790 AM. doug.pike.

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