Support Sea Turtle Rescue Efforts

You can help the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium save some of the animals affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

As you know, the leak is one of the most catastrophic environmental incidents in our history, and will impact the Gulf ecosystem for decades. As a result, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium has been approached
about helping sea turtles, corals, and possibly manatees, all of which faced threats in the wild before the spill — all of which are vulnerable to terrible effects from contact with the oil.

If we can enlarge our life support systems, the Zoo will care for sea turtles whose rehabilitation has already begun at institutions along the Atlantic coast, so that those institutions, more proximate to the spill, can get more affected turtles into
their care.

We also plan to harvest corals from the
Gulf of Mexico and bring them to the
PPG Aquarium, where we will nurture them until their colonies can be safely returned
to thier native waters.

One subspecies of manatee makes its home in the waters surrounding the Florida peninsula. Those manatees that survived the brutal winter are now threatened by the oil spill. We need to prepare a home for a rescued manatee should the need arise.

Please, please, please help. We need to expand the capacity of our life support systems for these animals. I hope we can count on you. You can help us do this critical work, by following the DONATE NOW link below or by sending a check to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Oil Spill Rescue, One Wild Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

Time is critical.

Thank you,
Patricia A. Hargest
Senior Development Officer

P.S. Please make your donation ASAP. Our veterinarian and keepers are already in the Gulf, treating over 50 sea turtles each day, and this week a dolphin too. Truly, these animals cannot wait.