Rescuing oiled birds: Poignant, but is it futile?

By JOHN FLESHER and NOAKI SCHWARTZ Associated Press Writers

FORT JACKSON, La. (AP) - Volunteers on the Gulf Coast are rescuing and washing as many oil-soaked birds and other animals as they can.

But hundreds more are turning up every day. And scientists can't even agree on whether it's worth the effort.

Critics of animal-cleanup missions say the creatures have been through so much stress by the time they're released that they usually don't live long after. Studies have produced conflicting findings about that.

Workers at an animal rehab center near Fort Jackson, La., say people are morally obligated to help birds, turtles and other oil-covered animals. And some scientists note that treated animals may produce offspring, so saving one could help save a species.