Oil Leak Threatens Pelican Population

On day 37 of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, President Obama faces a withering attack from none other than a fellow democratic, political strategist James Carville.

James said, "Man, you got to get down here and take control of this, put somebody in charge of this thing and get moving.  We're about to die down here."

A new CNN poll says that 51 percent of Americans now disapprove of the president's handling of the BP oil spill, while only 46 percent approve.

"We will not rest until this well is shut, the environment is repaired, and the cleanup is complete," Obama said.

Meanwhile, INSIDE EDITION has footage of one victim of the historic environmental disaster, a pelican completely soaked in oil.

"This bird looks like it plunge-dived all the way through the oil," a rescuer said.

INSIDE EDITION visited the International Bird Rescue Center, a mass unit for birds that's just been set up in Venice, Louisiana. It's amazing what it takes to clean just one pelican.

The cleaning starts with canola cooking oil, which dissolves the goo on the pelican's feathers. Then the washing process begins using blue Dawn dishwashing liquid and 300 gallons of warm water in five different rinsing tubs.  

A rescuer said, "We try and go through this process as quickly and as quietly as possible so that it's the shortest time being stressed out that the bird has."

Rescuers used a baby's toothbrush to carefully clean around the pelican's eyes and inside its beak and finally the bird's white color begins to emerge again!

The entire cleaning process for just one pelican takes four people 45 minutes.  

Now multiply that by the thousands of birds the rescue center will clean in the coming weeks.