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IBRRC's Monte Merrick (right) helps capture an American Coot possibly oiled in Dubai Star spill. Photo: OWCN blog |
The official wildlife response has ended after a tanker spilled up to 800 gallons of bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay in late October 2009.
So far, 49 live birds were collected and 17 died or have been humanely euthanized. Another 20 dead birds have been collected by Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) field teams.
If you find any oiled wildlife, please immediately contact 1.877.UCD.OWCN (1-877-823-6926).
Approximately 25 clean and healthy birds have been released into the wild.
After the spill most of the attention turned to the Alameda shore area where the beach is being cleaned of tar balls from the Dubai Star tanker spill that occurred on the morning of October 30, 2009.
The oiled birds are being cleaned at the San Francisco Oiled Wildlife Care & Education Center (SFBOCEC) that is co-managed by the OWCN and IBRRC.
The Panamanian flagged oil tanker, Dubai Star, was refueling when the accident happened about 2 1/2 miles from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Most of the oil slick drifted toward the east bay near the city of Alameda. The 600 ft ship was carrying jet fuel and was receiving bunker fuel from a barge when the 7 AM spill happened.
OWCN/IBRRC was activated immediately and had search and collection crews in the area that day.
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Mary Pierce (left) and Rachel Avilla wash an American coot, one of dozens of birds rescued, at San Francisco Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center in Fairfield/Cordelia area. |
The most common bird species brought to the bird rescue center in Fairfield/Cordelia area are American Coots, Grebes and diving ducks, including Surf Scoters, Scaups, and Ruddy Ducks.
The area most affected by the spill was the East Bay shoreline between the Bay Bridge and the San Mateo Bridge. Several beaches were closed during cleanup, including Robert Crown Memorial State Beach and Middle Harbor Shoreline Park.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is a statewide collective of trained wildlife care providers, regulatory agencies, academic institutions and wildlife organizations that works to rescue and rehabilitate oiled wildlife in California. See: OWCN/IBRRC partnership
The latest spill came eight days ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Cosco Busan oil spill that killed thousands of birds after the vessel struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in dense fog in November 2007.
That collision sliced open the Cosco Busan's hull and the ship spilled 53,000 gallons (220,000 liters) of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay, fouling 26 miles of shoreline from the bay shoreline to beaches outside the Golden Gate.
Oil affects on birds
When a bird encounters oil on the surface of the
water, the oil sticks to its feathers, causing them to mat
and separate, impairing the waterproofing and exposing the
animals sensitive skin to extremes in temperature. This can
result in hypothermia, meaning the bird becomes cold, or hyperthermia,
which results in overheating. Instinctively, the bird tries
to get the oil off its feathers by preening, which results
in the animal ingesting the oil. More about How Oil Affects Birds
SF Chronicle story
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