Two Crises – Two Continents

International Bird Rescue is responding to two simultaneous avian emergencies on opposite sides of the globe, and we need your support! Donate now

Over 150 oiled birds affected by natural seep off the coast have flooded our wildlife centers in Northern and Southern California since the beginning of this year, triggering an increase of staffing to crisis levels. Meanwhile, a team from Bird Rescue has just landed in South Africa to aid in the rescue of thousands of baby Lesser Flamingos. These birds were abandoned in their drought-stricken breeding grounds at the Kamfers Dam near Kimberley – about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Cape Town.

Many of the rescued baby flamingos are in care at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), one of our longtime partners. We first worked with SANCCOB in Cape Town almost twenty five years ago, and their team has once again invited us to assist with the rehabilitation of waterbirds in crisis. We are more than happy to help, and want give a big thank you to the Dallas Zoo for being in the first wave of international responders for this incident and sponsoring our international flights.

In California, more oil contaminated birds continue to flow into care each week. We thank our partner organizations, especially the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and SPCA of Monterey County for stabilizing and transferring many of these oiled birds to us. We also thank the Oiled Wildlife Care Network for partnering with us on many levels and generously supporting a portion of the cost for caring for these animals. You can read news coverage of our current oiled wildlife response on CBS News, NBC Los Angeles, and the Orange County Register.

Please join us when so many seabirds need our help throughout the world. To support our response costs and the ongoing care of these birds, please consider making a donation today.

If you would like to speak to someone directly about making a major gift through your trust or corporation, please call us at (510) 289-1472.