Concerns mount about oil spills' impact on wildlife

The Gannet, first oiled bird found by the International Bird Rescue Research Center, sits in a poll at the For Jackson, Louisiana wildlife rescue center.

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International Bird Rescue Research Center

Efforts to rescue wildlife continue as concerns intensify about the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf Coast's ecosystem.

A team of eight specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center is combing the outer-islands of the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana today after four days of bad weather hampered efforts.

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An oiled brown pelican is treated at Fort Jackson, Louisiana, rescue center.

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International Bird Rescue Research Center

"Now we have a window of time and we are going to try to get out there and catch up," Jay Holcomb, executive director at IBRRC, tells Green House.

"It really has the potential to affect the food chain," he says. "How bad it will be, I can not even estimate, because it is impossible to do that."

Two seabirds-- a pelican and gannet-- are in good condition after being rescued by IBRRC and Tri-State Bird Rescue Research. The organizations set up three rehabilitation facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.

Few animal casualties have been reported, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told the New York Times that its planes spotted dolphins and turtles in areas covered by oil.

Biologists are increasingly alarmed for wildlife offshore, where the damage from the spill can be invisible but still deadly. And they caution that because of the fluidity between onshore and offshore marine communities, the harm taking place deep at sea will come back to haunt the shallows, whether or not they are directly hit by the slick

Up to 20 National Wildlife Refuges could be affected by the oil spill, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . Responders are preparing to conduct a controlled burn today with no anticipated impacts on marine mammals and sea turtles, according to the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Cente.

Procter & Gamble sent 1,000 bottles of Dawn dish washing soap to the Gulf of Mexico area to help clean wildlife, the Associated Press reported. The company is also providing updates on efforts via Facebook.

For more on how the oil spill is affecting marine life, watch the CNN video below