Nation IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Spill’s Animal Toll Tops Early Reports

The Exxon Valdez oil spill killed more animals and caused more damage than earlier revealed, according to the first federal assessment of secret damage studies from the March, 1989, spill. The 15-page summary was filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage at the day’s close of court in the federal Exxon oil spill case and was later released by federal officials. The 11-million-gallon spill, America’s worst, may have killed half the Prince William Sound sea otter population, and sea otters are still dying from the oil, according to government scientists. Some bird colonies lost up to 70% of their breeding population, according to studies.