OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES FOR REDUCING WILDLIFE LOSSES: 

 OVERVIEW AND FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS 



Philip B. Stanton 1 



Ecologists have found that bird populations, especially seabird popu- 

 lations, are an integral part of the ecosystem, perhaps to an even greater 

 extent than was formerly realized. Seabird populations are generally quite 

 large and therefore have a tremendous effect on the food chain and overall 

 balance of the oceans of the world. Since mankind looks to the sea for much 

 of its present food as well as for future sources of protein, the importance 

 of seabirds should not be underestimated. Seabird populations are quite 

 vulnerable to oil spills, however, because many species have relatively re- 

 stricted ranges, nest in colonies along the coast and on islands, or concen- 

 trate in large numbers during various seasons. 



For many years, efforts have been made to develop effective techniques 

 for saving oil-covered birds. A variety of products and methods have been 

 developed, but only a limited amount of success has been achieved with these 

 developments. 



Studies have shown it to be wery difficult, and sometimes impossible, 

 to collect oil-covered birds, clean them, and return them to the wild within 

 a few days. For this reason, many birds must be kept in captivity until their 

 waterproofing, body weight, and general health return to normal. Keeping 

 wild birds in captivity presents such problems as providing each species with 

 its proper food and shelter, and preventing injury and disease. The process 

 of keeping birds in captivity is expensive, time-consuming, and often ineffec- 

 tive because many released birds are not able to readjust to the wild after 

 living in a semidomestic environment. 



A new approach to the problem of handling oil-covered birds is necessary. 

 Emphasis must be focused on habitat preservation and management, increases 

 in the reproductive potential of affected species, and development of new 

 tanker traffic routes. 



Reports of success concerning the rehabilitation of oil-covered birds 

 are often misleading. Each oil spill has its own set of peculiar circumstances. 

 There are differences, for example, in the bird species involved, the type 

 of oil spilled, geographic location, and other physical conditions (water 

 and air temperatures, salinity, etc.). For instance, bird rehabilitation 

 workers on the East Coast may report higher success than those on the West 

 Coast after similar types of oil spills, only because the East Coast workers 

 may be working with scoters and eiders, which are easier to rehabilitate than 

 the guillemots and western grebes present on the West Coast. Individuals 

 and private groups have sometimes reported 'jery high survival rates after 

 rehabilitation work with small groups of birds. However, it would be wery 

 difficult to apply their methods on a larger scale where several hundred birds 

 are involved. 



T 



Wildlife Rehabilitation Center 



84 Grove Street 



Upton, Massachusetts 01568 



135 



