( CNN ) -- The BP oil spill has brought into the public 's eye the tragedy of oiled wildlife . The pictures last week of pelicans completely covered in oil were horrific and rightly produced an outcry of rage from the public . Should these birds , and other oiled wildlife , be saved ? Much like the struggle to contain the oil itself , there are no quick fixes or easy answers . First , we need to emphasize that rescue and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife must be performed by trained wildlife professionals and volunteers . Without proper training , would-be rescuers can inadvertently harm or further stress oiled wildlife or be harmed themselves , either by struggling animals or the oil itself . Rescuers must go through a weeklong training on the handling of hazardous materials as well as proper wildlife rescue techniques . Wildlife rehabilitation is difficult . It is more than simply retrieving , washing and releasing wildlife contaminated with oil . Rehabilitators not only clean wildlife but provide veterinary care and feeding . Some animals are desperately ill , while others may need only minimal care . Each animal is individually assessed and then treated appropriately . Experts may make the difficult decision that some creatures ca n't be saved . Read why some experts say birds should be euthanized . Even if we do everything right , the long-term survival of rehabilitated wildlife may be uncertain . Beyond the short-term threats of oil poisoning and hypothermia , surviving wildlife face potential loss of their food sources and habitat . And it 's not as simple as moving affected individuals to a new location -- if a species moved 500 miles away from where it was originally lived , it might not be able to locate food and in some cases might even return to the original , oil-polluted location . Wildlife at risk from the BP oil spill include five species of threatened or endangered sea turtles , including the most endangered sea turtle in the world , the Kemp 's Ridley sea turtle , which is largely dependent on the Gulf of Mexico . The brown pelican , in addition to having symbolic importance as Louisiana 's state bird , was only recently taken off the Endangered Species List . For species that are threatened or endangered , every individual is critically important to help contribute to the survival of these species . Some have argued that we should n't bother to try to save any oiled birds , that given the long odds many face , we should simply euthanize all of them . That line of thinking overlooks recent advances in wildlife rehabilitation . It also lumps the sickest birds together with ones that may only be mildly ill. More broadly , it misses the point that this is n't just about playing the percentages . Humanity is an important factor in the decision to rehabilitate oiled animals . People caused this problem , and many feel it is our ethical duty to try to help the wildlife suffering as a result , even if the task is difficult and the outcome uncertain . At the National Wildlife Federation , we 've heard from so many Americans who feel a sense of helplessness as the oil continues to gush and as BP 's attempts to stop it continue to fail . Knowing that efforts are being made to save the innocent wildlife victims of this disaster not only helps the emotional stress of the public , it also gives them hope and rallies them to get involved , whether it 's making a donation to the response effort or contacting their elected officials . The sad reality is that many of the Gulf 's most critical species are now swimming against the current . Rehabilitation is difficult , and survival is uncertain . This only underscores the critical importance of clean energy and climate legislation now so we can prevent these disasters from happening in the future . That 's the only real way to ensure that we do n't have to see more images of oiled wildlife struggling and dying in disasters of our own making . The best way to help personally is to give , which you can do by texting WILDLIFE to 20222 to donate $ 10 to the NWF Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund . If you 're in Louisiana and want to report oiled wildlife , call ( 866 ) 557-1401 . Sign up for NWF 's Gulf Coast Surveillance volunteer teams to help spot and report oiled wildlife throughout the Gulf at www.nwf.org/oilspill . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Mizejewski .
Rehabilitating endangered birds is a difficult and risky effort , says David Mizejewski . Naturalist says birds may not survive the return to a natural environment . But saving birds can help ensure survival of endangered species , Mizejewski says . People understand this problem ; many feel ethical duty to save as many birds as possible , he says .