Frequently Asked Questions about Oiled Bird Treatment

Q: Do you wash birds as soon as you get them?

A: Not right away. Because oiled birds often suffer from hypo or hyperthermia and the birds
often haven't eaten in days. They also are 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.

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
thQ: 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.

em alone to sleep at night reduces mortality.

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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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: IBRRC is based in Northern California and we work all over the world. We've responded to
over 200 oil spills and done a variety of trainings in 11 different states, two US territories and
more than a dozen countries. We also have regional representatives based in California, the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

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 U.S. 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 co-existing 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.

FREE eBook on Oil Spills: Not One Drop

http://www.scribd.com/doc/31483843/Not-One-Drop

Big Oil’s Dirty Secrets

http://bigoil101.insanejournal.com