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Soaping up an oiled Grebe.
(Photo: Russ Curtis)
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Q: Do you wash birds as soon as
you get them?
A: No! Oiled birds often suffer
from hypo or hyperthermia. Many haven't eaten in days and
are often dehydrated and exhausted by the time we capture
them. They must be stabilized before attempting cleaning.
Stabilized birds have a much higher survival rate than birds
that are not stabilized prior to being washed. A bird can
safely be held as much as 5 days before being cleaned.
See: (How
oil effects birds)
Q: How long does it take to wash
a bird?
A: The time varies depending on
the size of the bird and the amount of oil on it. Obviously,
a heavily oiled pelican will take much longer to wash than
a lightly oiled duck. The average wash and rinse time is
approximately 45 minutes.
Q: What do you use to wash birds?
A: We use "Dawn" dish washing liquid.
IBRRC has conducted research on most of the commonly available
cleaning agents and "Dawn" meets all the criteria
we have established for appropriate cleaning agents. Those
criteria are the ability to remove most oils, effectiveness
at low concentrations, non-irritating to the skin and eyes,
rapid removal from feathers (rinsing), and is easily accessible.
Procter and Gamble now donates all "Dawn" detergent
to IBRRC and other rehabilitation organizations.
Q: How do you restore the natural oil to a bird's
feathers after washing?
A: We don't! Bird feathers are naturally waterproof
but after washing, each feather must be aligned properly so
that water cannot seep through the microscopic barbes and barbules
that are part of the vane of each feather. Each feather is
made up of microscopic barbs and barbules that hook together
like "Velcro". Once hooked together, they become
a tight waterproof barrier. Each properly aligned feather overlaps
another like shingles on a roof creating a temperature controlled
barrier. Birds align their feathers by preening (combing their
feathers) during which they distribute secretions or waxes
from the uropygial (preen) gland located at the base of the
tail throughout the plumage. Remember, bird feathers are already
naturally water repellent. The secretions from the uropygial
gland help in the long term maintenance of feathers by keeping
the feathers supple so alignment can be maintained.
Q: How much water does it take to clean a bird?
A: The amount of water used depends on the size
of the bird, how badly it is oiled and the bird. One pelican
can use as many as 300 gallons of water. During the "Tenyo
Maru" oil spill we cleaned 700 birds and used 1,000,000
gallons of water. Much of that was in the pools we need to
swim the birds after they have been cleaned.
Q: If you have a lot of birds and enough volunteers
why not wash the birds all night long?
A: In the early years at IBRRC we did just that
until data analysis showed a marked increase in mortality of
the birds washed after dark. It would seem that their stress
is increased when their circadian rhythm is upset as is ours.
They also need plenty of rest and we have found that leaving
them alone to sleep at night reduces mortality.
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Murres swimming in large above ground
pools help speed waterproofing at Erika spill. IBRRC
photo
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Q: Do the animals know that you are helping them?
A: No. They are wild animals and highly stressed
by handling and captivity. Most likely they regard us as predators
that are about to eat them. Although some species like penguins,
pelicans and murres will act more friendly as they become accustomed
to being fed fish by humans, they need what is termed "flight
space". This is the space between them and humans that
allow them to feel comfortable when in the presence of their
care takers. Getting too close to them will create a stressful
situation and often painful bites to their intruder. Handling
and viewing is only done when absolutely necessary in order
to minimize stress.
Q: How many animals do you expect to treat in
a spill?
A: As many as we receive. It is impossible to know
in advance how many birds will be impacted by an oil spill.
We work with local state and federal biologists to look at
what animals are in the area at the time of a spill and try
to ascertain what species and how many of them may be exposed
to oil. Then we plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Q: How long do birds have to stay in captivity?
A: That depends on the health and condition of
each animal. Sometimes a bird will have an injury or illness
prior to oiling and that will call for an extended stay in
captivity. The quickest a bird can be released is usually around
5 days however most average up to 7 days in captivity. Our
goal is always to get them in and out as soon as possible to
reduce the effects of captivity.
Q: What is the biggest problem in rehabilitating
oiled wildlife?
A: There is not just one. Inadequate or no facilities
to properly care for the animals has historically been one
of the biggest and consistent problems but difficulties can
differ from spill to spill. In general, people don't seem to
realize that cleaning oiled birds is not just a simple laundry
problem. For example, sea birds ingest oil and can suffer from
the internal effects of oil, extending their stay in captivity.
Young birds require special care and each species has its own
diet and caging requirements. This all adds up to a lot of
work and coordination that has to be done in a very short amount
of time. Many of the problems generated are "people generated".
Sometimes the irate public can be obstructive, the media can
be intrusive and demanding, and volunteers can have unrealistic
expectations and cause many problems. The problems in oil spills
are equally people and animal related.
Q: How much does it cost to rehabilitate oiled
birds?
A: The cost for wildlife rehabilitation will differ
from spill to spill. For example the cost per bird during the "Exxon
Valdez" oil spill was extremely high due to the costs
per day for the many rescue vessels and the extended period
of time we spent in Alaska. The modification of facilities
on each spill adds to cost as well. Determining the cost per
bird is difficult. It is unrealistic to take the over all cost
of the rehabilitation program during a spill and divide it
by the amount of birds in a spill to get the cost per bird.
This is a common mistake that has been done with many oil spills
that gives the impression of very high costs "per bird".
You must take all the variables in each situation that effect
the cost and separate them out in order to gain an actual amount
per bird. There is really no average amount.
Q: What is your survival rate?
A: The survival rate will differ with each oil
spill because of all the factors that effect it. Some of those
factors are the toxicity of the oil, how rapidly the birds
are collected and stabilized, what condition the bird was in
before it was oiled, and the species involved. We have had
release rates as high as 100% and as low as 25% in the early
years. We now average about 50% to 80%. Again, it depends on
many variables and cannot be predicted.
Q: Where do you release them?
A: All rehabilitated animals are released in clean
and oil free areas chosen by federal and state trustee agency
personnel and IBRRC. If the area that they were captured in
is still oiled then the animals are sometimes transported to
more remote locations for release.
Q: How many of them live after they are released?
A: We don't know. We band all of our released birds
with US Fish and Wildlife stainless steel bands. We get some
returns on them but most of the birds we release live in remote
regions and are never seen again. We have worked with avian
specialists to fit rehabilitated birds with transmitters that
allowed them to be monitored for a period of time. We plan
on doing more post release studies in the future to help us
determine the survival rate of oiled birds. See: (Research)
Q: Does IBRRC handle other animals besides birds?
A: Yes. We have treated mammals such as raccoon,
beaver, and muskrats and reptiles including snakes and turtles.
Most of the animals we care for are seabirds, wading birds
and waterfowl. We do not treat large marine mammals as there
are other groups who specialize in that area.
Q: Do you work only in California or on the west
coast?
A: No. Our headquarters is in Cordelia, CA. However,
we respond anywhere in the US and other countries. IBRRC has
responded to over 100 oil spills and done a variety of trainings
in 11 different states, two US territories and 8 countries.
We also have five regional representatives based in California,
the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, the Gulf states, and the Hawaii/Pacific
Region.
We have cared for over 140 different species of
birds mammals and reptiles including threatened and endangered
species. Perhaps the most well known oil spill we were involved
with was the "Exxon Valdez" in 1989. We also maintain
a 25 member response team of highly trained and experienced
wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians and biologists. Our
response team not only cares for the animals but it "manages" oiled
wildlife rehabilitation efforts. This includes volunteer training
and supervision, media interaction etc.
Q: Do you come with your own supplies?
A: We bring some medical supplies and hard to locate
items and equipment with us. Difficult to obtain equipment
is stored at our center and other locations around the US and
is shipped to the spill site as needed. Other items are purchased
during the spill.
Q: Why do you do it?
A: IBRRC's philosophy is that we all use oil or
oil related products in some form or another and as a species
coexisting on this earth with other life forms we are responsible
for the messes that we make.
Some wildlife management and population oriented
professionals argue that cleaning oiled birds isn't worth the
cost and effort as no impact can be made on a species level.
We feel it is best to have a technology available that can
be applied to threatened and endangered species if the time
comes when large numbers of these birds are impacted with oil.
Each bird helps us to improve the overall care that we provide.
Even if this thinking cannot be accepted, what is the alternative?
The public will not stand for wildlife agencies euthanizing
oiled birds as they come ashore. Also, we know that oiled birds
can be rehabilitated and we maintain the belief that each individual
animal is just one part of the larger population.
We recognize that each life is valuable and that
each animal is deserving of our care. In a world where life
is not always respected and cherished we feel that preserving
even the life of one bird sends an important message.
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