@carnold03

Having worked in O&G for a decade, this is all too true.

Back in 2008, an Oil Sands Mine in Northern Alberta had an incident where approximately 500 Ducks landed on a Tailings Pond, the only open water available at the time, during a sudden, late spring snow storm. Many small ponds and lakes in the region are still frozen into mid-April/May. It was picked up by the Media and Environmentalists and there was a lot of noise accompanied by pictures of dead Ducks that quickly circulated around the World.

The vast majority died because of the thin layer of Oil that covers the Pond saturated their feathers and prevented them from flying and many would simply drown. It was preventable, and happened because Syncrude had not activated their Bird Scare Cannons that would normally prevent the Birds from landing.

The end result was Syncrude pled Guilty, and was fined $3 Million CAD.

Just a few days before the Duck incident (April 26th, Two days before The International Day of Mourning for Workers Killed on the Job), a Contractor driving a pick-up was killed after being run over by a Cat 797-B Haul Truck. It went largely unreported by the Media. There was an article, originally published by The Financial Post May 17th, 2008, and re-posted to Oil Sands Truth that brought some light onto the incident.

Bottom line is the Ducks that were killed (and it was a tragedy) would never have evolved into anything beyond Ducks. If they hadn't died, they would have lived a life of Migration, Reproduction and Prey. I doubt many Ducks ever get to die a peaceful death due to old age.

The Contractor killed by the Haul Truck was a 26 year old Electrician, in his prime, and who knows what he would have accomplished if he had lived.