COLLECTION AND ONSITE TREATMENT 



The collection of oiled birds is, of course, the first step in their 

 rehabilitation, and can be the most difficult task to accomplish. The Center 

 has had little direct experience in this activity, since the capture, initial 

 treatment, and transport to the Center has been a cooperative effort involving 

 personnel from the California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Coast 

 Guard, and local wildlife rehabilitation groups, humane societies, and animal 

 control agencies. For the most part, oiled birds are not accessible for capture 

 until they have become somewhat debilitated by oil toxicity, exposure, or 

 starvation; therefore, they are given some initial treatment at centralized 

 locations near the site of their capture. The location of these "collection 

 stations" may vary, depending on the movement of the oil and the birds and 

 on other factors. The initial treatment includes: 



1. The removal of oil from the nostrils and mouths so that no 

 further oil is ingested and breathing is unhampered. 



2. Tube-feeding birds with a warm solution of 2 to 5 percent 

 glucose in fresh water to provide hydration and an easily 

 utilized source of energy. 



3. Wrapping the birds' bodies in cloth and taping their 

 beaks shut to prevent further preening and ingestion of 

 oil. 



4. Placing the birds in a quiet, sheltered area in 

 individual boxes to await transport. 



TREATMENT AT THE REHABILITATION CENTER 



After the birds arrive at the Center, they are tube-fed additional warm 

 hydrating solution, and the following additional procedures are performed: 



1. The birds are weighed and banded, and a short record of 

 treatment is started for each of them, which includes information 

 on prior treatment, location of capture, degree of oiling, species, 

 sex, age, etc. 



2. Each bird's temperature is taken with an oral thermometer, and 

 those with temperatures below 38 C (100 F) are placed in a box 

 under a heat lamp for a few hours to produce ambient temperatures 

 of 29 to 32 C (85 to 90 F) . When their body temperatures approach 

 the normal range of 39 C (103 F) and above, they are housed with 

 the rest of the birds. 



3. Birds that are heavily oiled with fresh oil and are actively 

 preening are wrapped again in clean cloth in such a way as to 

 prevent preening and provide mobility, unless they appear too 

 stressed by the restriction. 



When resources are limited, it may be necessary to euthanize some of 

 the birds received, and to concentrate efforts on those that have the best 

 chance of survival. Birds less likely to survive the stress of oiling and 

 rehabilitation include those with obvious signs of distress, such as convulsions, 

 extreme lethargy, or labored breathing accompanied with gasping or gurgling 

 sounds; those with traumatic injury, such as fractured limbs or lacerations; 



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