From 1976 to 1978 the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), 

 with a grant from the American Petroleum Institute, investigated commonly 

 used cleaning agents and some agents that had not been used. In all, 14 

 detergents were tested (Berkner et al . 1977). It was found that Lux Liquid 

 Amber, an industrial strength biodegradable detergent, was capable of remov- 

 ing most oils without leaving surfactant residues responsible for lengthy re- 

 habilitation periods. 



With the change from "solvent to suds" the lot of the oiled bird improved 

 considerably. Postcleaning mortality dropped substantially and birds weighing 

 less than 300 grams survived through cleaning to release. The first large- 

 scale test of the new detergent occurred in Reedville, Virginia in March 1978. 

 After the sinking of a barge off Smith Point, 423 birds contaminated with 

 Bunker C were collected. With support of the U.S. Coast Guard, the rehabili- 

 tation effort was organized by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and # super- 

 vised by IBRRC. In spite of an outbreak of avian cholera at the time "of the 

 spill, the release rate was 32 percent. 



THE PRESENT 



What is the state of oiled bird rehabilitation today? Certainly, dra- 

 matic progress has been made since the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969. 

 Because the effects of oil, both external and internal are better understood 

 oiled birds now are treated for hypothermia, dehydration, starvation, and oil 

 ingestion. Care is prescribed on a species level, taking into consideration 

 for instance the special need of the pelagic species to be gradually rein- 

 troduced to salt water before release. Birds are now cleaned with nontoxic 

 detergents. This cleaning, combined with appropriate care, produces accep- 

 table release rates within 10 days. (In 1978 IBRRC released 69 percent of 

 the 135 oiled birds received for care that year.) One question often asked 

 today is: "why are high release rates seen so seldom in spills affecting 

 large numbers of birds?" The answer is simple; personnel caring for the 

 birds have had little or no experience, facilities have been woefully inade- 

 quate, and support, in the form of supplies, has been almost nonexistent. 



With the entry of the FWS into oiled bird rehabilitation, the gloomy 

 picture of the past is changing rapidly. Along with protection of habitat 

 and dispersal of wildlife during spills, the FWS has been charged with the 

 coordination and supervision of professional and volunteer groups who may 

 wish to take part in oiled bird rehabilitation. Both national and regional 

 contingency plans of the FWS provide guidelines for the use of volunteers 

 in oiled bird emergencies. With such action in mind, the FWS has sponsored 

 six oiled bird rehabilitation workshops throughout the country in the last 

 1.5 years. In these workshops, attended by representatives of local humane, 

 ornithological, and environmental groups, demonstrations and some hands-on 

 training provided an introduction to oiled bird treatment. Also covered in 

 the workshops were contingency planning and the role of industry and State 

 and Federal wildlife agencies during spills. Many of the private groups 



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