METAIRIE, La. (AP) -- BP used underwater robots a mile beneath the ocean Thursday to try to put a lid on the Gulf oil gusher. Live video showed that an inverted funnel-like cap slightly wider than a severed pipe was being maneuvered into place over the oil spewing from a busted well. However, the gushing oil made it difficult to tell if the cap was fitting well. BP spokesman Toby Odone said he had no immediate information on whether the cap was successfully attached. If the cap can be put on successfully, BP will siphon the oil and gas to a tanker on the surface.
The damage to the environment was chilling on East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast, where workers found birds coated in thick, black goo. Anywhere between 21 million and 46 million gallons of oil has spewed into the Gulf, according to government estimates. (21 images)
The damage to the environment was chilling on East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast, where workers found birds coated in thick, black goo. Anywhere between 21 million and 46 million gallons of oil has spewed into the Gulf, according to government estimates. (21 images)
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A brown pelican is mired in heavy oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on Thursday, June 3, 2010. Oil from the Deepwater Horizon has affected wildlife throughout the Gulf of Mexico. AP / Charlie Riedel
Danene Birtell, of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, holds the wing of an oiled pelican, impacted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as she cleans the bird at a triage facility at Fort Jackson in Buras, La., Thursday, June 3, 2010. AP / Gerald Herbert
A bird flies above oil on the Gulf of Mexico off of East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast after being Thursday, June 3, 2010. AP / Charlie Riedel
A boat is shown surrounded by oil in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. MCT / Carolyn Cole
Workers clean up oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Pass a Loutre, La., Friday, May 28, 2010. AP / Jae C. Hong
A boat and boom are dwarfed by oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico off of East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast Thursday, June 3, 2010. AP / Charlie Riedel
Oil surrounds the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana, Monday, May 31, 2010. AP / Jae C. Hong
A supply vessel passes through an oil sheen near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana, Monday, May 31, 2010. AP / Jae C. Hong
Skimming vessels collect oil at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana, Monday, May 31, 2010. AP / Jae C. Hong
Oil floats ashore at the Grand Isle East State Park May 27, 2010 on Grand Isle, Louisiana. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Smoke rises from a controlled oil burn near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana, Monday, May 31, 2010. AP / Jae C. Hong
A Louisiana National Guard helicopter carries away sandbags as it takes part in an operation to fortify offshore barrier islands from incoming oil June 1, 2010 near Venice, La. The National Guard unit delivered almost 1,000 bags to Pelican and Scofield islands. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Contract workers from BP load absorbent booms onto a boat before departing from a staging area to clean up oil impacted marshes June 1, 2010 near Venice, La. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Contract workers from BP ferry oil soaked waste to a pickup point as other workers use skimmers to clean oil from a marsh near Pass a Loutre on June 1, 2010 near Venice, La. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Louisiana National Guard Sgt. Chad Birch releases water from a hose used to fill a tiger dam on a beach in Grand Isle, La., Tuesday, June 1, 2010. The National Guard is working around the clock to complete the dam, which is designed to protect the island's entire shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico from oil from last month's Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. AP / Patrick Semansky
Contract workers from BP use booms to trap oil from floating away so that it can be collected near a marsh near Pass a Loutre on June 1, 2010 near Venice, La. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Members of the Louisiana National Guard build a tiger dam on a beach in Grand Isle, La., Tuesday, June 1, 2010. When completed, the water-inflated dam is expected to protect the island's entire shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico. AP / Patrick Semansky
Environmental Protection Agency contractor Larry Howard collects water samples for testing on May 31, 2010 near the point where the South Pass of the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico near Venice, La. The long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are still being investigated for the impact they will have on the fragile ecosystem of the Gulf Coast. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Behind a protective orange boom, an ibis stands in the water on an oil-covered marsh May 27, 2010 near Grand Isle, La. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Residents and visitors pray at the Grand Isle Speckled Trout Rodeo Party on May 29, 2010 in Grand Isle, La. The annual event is traditionally a fishing contest but due to the closure of local fishing grounds because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, residents and visitor held a party in the contest's place. Getty Images / Win McNamee
Protesters scream while pouring mock oil over themselves outside a BP (British Petroleum) gas station in Manhattan May 28, 2010 in New York City. Protesters were demonstrating against the company's role in the April 22 Gulf of Mexico oil spill catastrophe. Getty Images / Mario Tama
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