Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/oil-spill-turtles-tar-mayo/

The Israel oil spill that happened in February 2021 has had far-reaching impacts on our planet. Those who volunteer to help clean up the 100 miles of coastline are being harmed due to fumes and that isn’t even to mention the animals that are suffering in untold ways.

Although the fight to get things cleaned up is not an easy one, thousands of people have volunteered from the local area. They are doing their part to help the environment, including helping endangered sea turtles in a most unexpected way. They are feeding the turtles mayonnaise.

Staff members from the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Israel are helping out the little turtles by giving them the beloved condiment. It seems that the green sea turtles who were able to survive once the oil was spilled because the mayo provides them with nutrients and helps to break down the tar in their digestive system. The Israeli Nature Parks shared photos of the tragedies on their Facebook page.

Early in February, the Mediterranian because a hotspot for an ecological disaster. It happened off the coast of Israel and almost all of the 120-mile coastline of Israel is coated in tar. The New York Times reports on how bad things have gotten, with some beaches being covered with up to 5 inches of tar.

An investigation has taken place but the AP News reports that a court has blocked the results from being made public. That being said, it is known that hundreds of turtles have died, as has a 55-foot whale.

The National Sea Turtle Rescue Center talked about the 11 turtles they were able to rescue. Haaretz spoke with the founder of the organization, Yaniv Levy, who said: “[The turtles] all got here with a coat of tar on their heads, and in their eyes, nostrils, mouth, digestive system and stomach. With this kind of damage they have no chance to survive without treatment. We removed the tar from their nostrils and eyes so they could breathe and see.”

Although mayo is being used to clean the digestive tracts of the turtles, they are using cotton swabs to clean the outside of the turtles with vegetable oil. The mayo is given to them with a syringe, as they are not capable of eating regular food at this time.

One of the medical assistants at the center, Guy Ivgy, told Haaretz that the turtles would end up with digestive blockages if they were fed their standard diet of crabs and other sea creatures.

Live Science talks more about why mayo helps to break things down. The condiment is a combination of oil and water that both sticks to water and repels water. It allows the mayo to bond with the tar but the oil thins things out to help the tar to break down.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog