After a recent oil spill, volunteers rescued affected birds and nursed them back to health. Many of the birds were too badly injured to be saved, and only about 20% of the birds affected by the spill survived, even with volunteer efforts. Efforts to alleviate the effects of an oil spill are clearly a waste because even when volunteers try to save wildlife, the death rate is still so high that it is not worth the effort.
Each of the following, if true, would undermine the conclusion of the passage EXCEPT: