Almost 100 birds rescued following East Coast oil spill crisis
Stokes Kildare A Guillemot Pearse Ordinator Co Rescue Wildlife Capturing
Almost 100 birds have been rescued along the coastline from Dublin to Wexford as part of a nationwide response to the East Coast oil spill crisis.
The birds, consisting of 90 Guillemots and six Razorbills, were saved by Kildare Wildlife Rescue (KWR) teams, alongside a number of people from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), BirdWatch Ireland, and Oiled Wildlife Response Network (OWRN) volunteers.
The rescues come in the wake of a significant oil spill which occurred last week, affecting areas along the Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin coast, posing a threat to wildlife.
The bank holiday weekend saw a surge in reports from concerned members of the public, with the highest number of reports and bird captures witnessed on Saturday.
Response efforts continued throughout Sunday and Monday, with several beaches checked and cleared multiple times a day, KWR said.
KWR Manager Dan Donoher said: "While the number of oiled birds did not escalate significantly as the week progressed, many birds were being admitted until late hours on Monday night. The primary objective now is to provide the best care for their rehabilitation process, which can be lengthy”
KWR believe they have reached “peak admissions”, although more birds are expected to be taken in as the week unfolds.
However, the charity does not anticipate a “significant increase” in numbers.
"We will have to further invest in equipment and materials, including pools, pumps, filters, and contaminated wastewater storage, specifically for this crisis," Mr Donoher said.
The birds are to remain in care while they undergo an extensive washing process to remove the oil, which is expected to take several weeks of rehabilitation post-washing.
"Professional handling and set up, and veterinary care are crucial for the successful rehabilitation of these birds," Mr Donoher said.
Despite the best effort of volunteers, some birds are proving difficult to catch, with many sightings reported in water or on inaccessible cliffs along beaches covered by the response teams.
However, KWR assures the public that efforts will continue to bring these birds into care before their strength weakens further.
"Unfortunately, some birds were chased into the water by dogs before our volunteers could catch them," Mr Donoher said.
"We also had at least two cases of well-meaning but uninformed members of the public attempting to take oiled Guillemots home and wash them in their sinks, resulting in the birds dying of shock."
The public are encouraged to report any sightings of oiled birds to info@kwr.ie, along with a photo or short video, a Google Map pin of the exact location, and a contact phone number.