Rescue and treatment of oiled birds

Birds at sea can fall victim to oil in several ways:-

• Contact with crude oil causes feathers to collapse and mat together. This can severely hamper the ability of the bird to fly.
• There is a breakdown in thermal insulation - oiled birds often suffer from hypothermia.
• Crude oil can also cause severe irritation of the skin.
• Birds often ingest the toxic crude oil in an attempt to preen themselves. They may also ingest oil via their prey if their food chain becomes contaminated. The consumption of oil poisons the birds.

The above combination of factors often causes oiled birds to become beached, dead or alive. The location of stranding depends on wind direction and tidal currents, among other factors.

Oiled birds being collected by RSPCA officers (50K JPEG image)

The operation to rescue and treat oiled birds arising from the Sea Empress spillage involved hundreds of people and various organisations, from locals prepared to capture birds as they struggle ashore, through to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) who treated most of the casualties. The RSPCA set up a temporary bird hospital in Milford Haven where most of the surviving birds were treated. Other conservation bodies and private establishments were also involved in the cleaning operation. The high number of casualties was such that many birds had to be transported to other parts of the United Kingdom for attention.

Treatment involved gentle but thorough washing in detergent to remove as much of the oil as possible (a very time consuming process). The birds were fed charcoal (to absorb oil in the alimentary canal) and food additives. They were held in captivity for a period of time to allow for recovery, including the restoration of natural oiling to the feathers.

Previous research suggested that the prognosis for oiled birds can be very poor. Many oiled birds die during the treatment and recuperation period, and it is believed that a large proportion of these do not survive for long after liberation into the wild. However, the intention of everyone involved in the rescue effort was to attempt to improve the survival prospects of these victims of pollution.

University of Wales Swansea School of Biological Sciences Home Page

Authors: Peter Dyrynda, Rob Symberlist
Contributors: Derek Thomas, Paul Llewellyn
Contact: P.Dyrynda@swansea.ac.uk
Update: 29/4/02

© 1996-2000 P.E.J.Dyrynda and R.C.Symberlist. All rights reserved