A flock of Canada Geese, who mistakenly landed in the sticky goo at La Brea Tar Pits, suffered serious injury and painful death on July 31. The few who were able to survive are now in care at International Bird Rescue.
Bird Rescue is seeking public and political support after learning that hundreds of seabirds are suffering and dying from contamination in Mexico waters due to fishing boats illegally dumping fish oil.
Common Loons contaminated with natural seep were admitted into care. Despite their dirty feathers, these birds are at a healthy weight and have minimal injuries.
Our Los Angeles wildlife center team successfully washed this endangered bird patient on January 11, 2022, and the plover is now recovering and eating well post-wash.
Whenever there is an oil spill the question inevitably comes up ‘Why rehabilitate oiled birds? Throughout our history there have been naysayers who question the value of rehabilitating oiled wildlife and their longevity. However, we now have strong data to support the survival of oiled wildlife.
At International Bird Rescue, we are known for our work caring for injured, orphaned, and oiled waterbirds, but on occasion we do care for species that prefer drier habitats when they have been affected by oil.
This week is the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez tragedy. From our archives: we spoke with three of our emergency responders who were on the ground rescuing seabirds and otters in 1989. More than 1,600 live oiled birds were captured and brought to Bird Rescue’s four oiled bird rehabilitation centers in Alaska during the … Read more
This past weekend, we heard there’s been a large oil spill along the coastline of Israel. Perhaps not as large as some other oil spills we’ve responded to in the last 50 years, but when your coastline is only 120 miles long and 105 of those miles have been oiled, you might call that large … Read more
If there is one thing that the 1971 San Francisco Bay oil spill taught us, it was that there was so much we needed to learn. In spite of the valiant efforts of volunteers and animal caretakers, the numbers were grim; out of roughly 7,000 birds collected from the oil-soaked water and beaches, only about … Read more
On May 29, 2019 International Bird Rescue was activated for spill response by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) after approximately 80-125 gallons of crude were released into the Pacific Ocean on May 28 in Goleta, CA. This type of response is well within Bird Rescue’s wheelhouse, and we know what to expect: Within hours … Read more