A growing oil spill near Australia is an ecological disaster
Since August 21, thousands of gallons of crude oil have been spewing out of a damaged oil well into the Timor Sea off northern Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Officials said that the busted well, owned by Thailand's national petroleum company, might not be repaired until later this month, according to the New York Times.
"The leaking oil well...is now a major environmental disaster, spanning at least 15,000km2 and threatening marine wildlife, including whales and dolphins," according to a recent statement by the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).
An independent survey by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also found sea birds, fish and sea snakes among the many animals exposed to the toxic sludge.
WDCS contends that the region is "ecologically significant...an 'ocean super highway' for migrating animals between the Indian and Pacific Oceans."
GET INVOLVED
- Sign a WDCS petition urging the Australian government to do something immediately about the oil spill
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