The new Louisiana bird rescue center is coming along nicely. It’s located in the town of Hammond which is about 60 miles north of New Orleans above Lake Pontchartrain. The new site is out of the hurricane ‘evacuation zone’.
Since the beginning of the BP Gulf oil spill in April, the main animal rehabilitation center has been located in Buras, LA. It is only several feet above sea level.
Initially, the Hammond Bird Rehabilitation Facility will be capable of handling approximately 1,000 birds, and capacity could be increased to house as many as 2,000 to 3,000 birds.
It’s situated on the grounds of what was once a very large lumber yard with multiple empty warehouses and plenty of room for large outdoor enclosures. We will be posting pictures soon.
View Larger Map
We are all looking forward to the move, which may be as soon as this weekend. While we are busily organizing and planning for the big move we are still receiving small numbers of oiled birds daily.
With this in mind, oiled animals that continue to come in through Venice and Port Sulphur will receive first aid at a stabilization site nearby before being transferred to us in Hammond. Since we do not wash oiled birds right away this will not delay their treatment.
Over the weekend a small water spout developed nearby. It reminded us of how the weather here, especially this time of year, can change so rapidly. While we will miss living where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico, in the end, the move will make it safer for the birds and the people that care for them.
More information