Almost every year, ocean wildlife, birds and other animals are killed or seriously injured due to oil spills on tankers that would have could have been avoided. Oil spills occur mainly due to captain and crew errors. As they cross the ocean, they become careless, unobservant, and make simple mistakes that cost millions of dollars as well as the lives and habitats of animals in the region and beyond. However, there are many other reasons why oil spills occur, such as weather conditions, illegal dumping, countries at war, or terrorists trying to get a country's attention. There are other ways to transport oil without risking a spill leading to the destruction of ecosystems, for example by train or pipeline. The most recent oil spill occurred on March 29, 2013, when a pipeline ruptured from the Athabasca oil sands in Mayflower, Arkansas, about 25 miles northwest of Little Rock. Between 5,000 and 7,000 barrels of oil were reportedly spilled. This oil spill proves that even today, very serious oil spills still occur around the world and that there is no perfect or truly effective way to transport oil safely. Beaches covered in oil, dead and dying wildlife, damaged fisheries, contaminated water supplies, dying plants. and organizations. These are the short-term effects of an oil spill. The long-term effects are much worse and deadly. Oil is capable of accumulating in the food chain to deadly levels and destroying or disrupting a region's ecosystem. Seabirds, including puffins, shearwaters, razorbills and more, are frequently affected by oil spills. However, these birds live primarily in open water; they can also be oiled in coastal waters since they come to breed on coastal islands. Spills can also seriously harm the...... middle of paper ......safety. If something is damaged, be sure to replace it. If you have a heating system, make sure you have an oil safety valve. If you don't have one, it's time to install one. This automatically cuts off the oil supply if the line breaks. This is a smart feature that everyone can have in their home if they have a heating system. Works Cited (May 1, 2000) Oil spills. http://events.awma.org/enviro_edu/fact_sheets/oil_spills1.html (January 3, 2014) Mayflower Oil Spill 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Mayflower_oil_spill(2014) Mother Nature Network: Spills of oil. http://www.mnn.com/eco-glossary/oil-spillOracle Think Quest: Oil spills, student projects for students. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/oil_spills.htm (January 23, 2014) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oilimpacts.html