Seabirds Affected by Oil Spill Along Southern California Coast More than 1,400 birds, mainly Western Grebes, came into our Los Angeles Wildlife Center after an oil slick first struck along the Ventura and Los Angeles County coastline on January 13, 2005. As late as April 2005, a couple dozen oil covered birds were still showing … Read more
Norway emergency relief and rehabilitation report from Rocknes spill Field Report #13— Friday, February 26, 2004 The team has now fully de-mobilized from Norway. After the release of 11 Eider ducks last Friday another 11 birds were released on Saturday followed by four on Sunday. The last Mallard was then released on Monday leaving just … Read more
Spain prepares for long Prestige oil spill clean-up, more birds to be released Dozens of rehabilitated sea birds will be returned to the wild off the coast of Spain this week thanks to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Emergency Relief (ER) team. These latest releases cap a two-month wildlife rescue and rehabilitation effort … Read more
On the morning of September 16th 2002, Carol Frey of Auburn, California went to a local pond to feed the abandoned ducks and geese. Instead of running to greet her as they usually did, they were either trapped on a small island, or sinking, as if they were in quicksand. The entire pond was covered … Read more
Freighter that sank in 1953 off San Francisco coast leaves tragic legacy The Luckenbach sank 17 miles off the coast. The U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Game have identified the source of oil that has affected over 2,076 birds since Nov. 24, 2001. A submersible remotely operated vehicle collected oil … Read more
Overview of the Galapagos Oil Spill The spill occurred on January 16, 2001 approximately 870 yards off San Cristobal Island, one of the Galapagos Islands. At least 22 oiled pelicans were returned to the wild. Over 100 animals were affected during the spill. Nearly 200,000 gallons of diesel and bunker crude oil spilled from Ecuadorean … Read more
Helping save 20,000 oiled penguins in Cape Town On June 23, 2000 the damaged bulk ore carrier MV Treasure sank off the coast of South Africa between Dassen and Robben islands, which support the largest and third largest colonies of African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), worldwide. The worldwide population of African penguins is numbered at less … Read more
Seaducks affected by remote oil spill off Pribilof Island, Alaska Update: In 2019, the oldest known banded King Eider from the 1996 Pribilof response – survived 23 years after oiling and release During the period between February 17 – 20, 1996 numerous reports of oiled birds beaching themselves on the shores of St. Paul Island … Read more
On Feburary 7, 1990 the oil tanker American Trader, just a mile off Huntington Beach, CA, ran over its own anchor, puncturing its hull. It leaked 400,000 gallons of crude into marine waters causing the death of thousands of seabirds. The spill cleanup forced a the three-week closure of 15 miles of Orange County coastline. … Read more
Devastating Oil Spill Left Its Wake on Prince William Sound, Wildlife One of the nation’s worst oil spills occurred in Alaska’s Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. At least 11 million gallons of crude oil spewed out of the Exxon Valdez tanker after it struck Bligh Reef in the early morning hours. While only … Read more