Watch out for oiled birds around the coast after the rough weather
Submitted by GSPCA on 14:50, 16th Jan, 2014 |
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With rough weather the GSPCA often finds itself rescuing and caring for oiled birds.
The reason we and other coastal animal charities see this increase is that crude oil that has settled on the sea bed gets stirred up and floats to the surface where the birds sadly get coated and then find it difficult to fly, preen, hunt and care for themselves.
We closely monitor the locations of where the birds are found and tidal movements in case they aren't isolated incidents.
We have had 7 oiled birds in the last week but sadly a Razorbill and 2 Guillemots were to weak to save.
On a happier note 4 Guillemots are well on the road to recovery. They have been named Alan (found at Vazon), Rachael (found at L'Eree), Chewy (found at Chouet) and Dave (found at Halfway) and all are eating well and responding to treatment.
Yvonne Chauvel Senior Animal Care Assistant said 'We certainly don't see as many oiled birds at the Shelter as we did in years gone by, but if they are going to come in its during the rough winter months.'
'We currently have 4 oiled Guillemots at the Shelter which are under treatment and working through their bathing and rehabilitation with Dave who was rescued from Halfway last week having his today.'
'The four Guillemots we rescued last week are doing well and I'm hopeful we'll get them onto our pools soon for their next stage of rehab.'
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said 'We are so lucky to have staff like Yvonne who has years of experience helping clean and rehabilitate oiled birds at the GSPCA.'
'Every time we have an oiled bird in she takes a member of staff under her wing to show them how it is done and today Sarah Ozanne got the chance to learn how to bath an oiled bird.'
'The oil that many of these poor birds are affected by will be due to man and many of the birds we see are often in declining numbers such as Guillemots who are on the Amber list, so we want to do everything we can to get them healthy and back to the wild where they belong.'
The UK's coasts have many stretches of cliffs where seabirds breed such as the 950'000 pairs of Guillemots live and breed around the UK. They comes to land only to nest, spending the most of their life at sea, where like Dave and his friends are vulnerable to oil spills. Guillemots are dark brown and white, not as black as the similar Razorbill, it has a 'bridled' form with a white ring round the eye and stripe behind it. Their Latin name is Uria aalge and they are part of the Auks (Alcidae) family. In winter they are widespread around UK coasts but usually well offshore. However during bad weather such as gales they can be forced inland. They feed on fish and crustaceans and you are best to see them between May and July when they breed.
To donate to Trinity and Eden two seal pups Big Fish Appeal please call 01481 257261, pop along to the Animal Shelter in St Andrews, by post or by clicking the link below.
We will of course keep you up to date with Trinity and Edens progress and keep your eyes open for pictures and videos.
If anyone see's a pup with or without a mum we really do appreciate a call so that we are aware of its location and condition but here is some advice.
A healthy pup looks like a big, stuffed maggot without a neck. However, a thin pup looks sleek (but not bony) and has a visible neck, like a healthy dog.
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE SEAL. They can give a nasty bite, which will become infected by bacteria that live in a seal’s mouths.
Note: Do not allow dogs or other animals to harass a seal.
If a Seal is scared back into the water, it could then be washed out to sea by strong currents and be lost. You should not put a seal pup back in the sea as it may get into difficulty.
If a Seal pup is sick, thin or injured then we would ask you to contact the GSPCA immediately on 01481 257261 day or night
When reporting an injured, sick or abandoned seal to the GSPCA, please make sure you are able to supply the following information:
Exact location; nearest town / village
Position on the beach, and state of the tide
How long you have observed the pup; any disturbance / risk to it; whether the mother has been seen
Any wounds / obvious signs of illness
Length/colour/condition.
Caution:- Handling of any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive may be potentially hazardous. Obvious dangers include bites, scratches and general hygiene issues. Common sense should be applied in all instances and, if unsure, seek additional advice or assistance. Personal hygiene should be taken into consideration after handling any animal, whether it’s domestic, wild, dead or alive.
To see some of the previous stories follow the links below
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South Show - Come see our stall at this wonderful annual event
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22nd December 2014
Guernsey Christmas Term Break starts
Sunday 14th December 2014
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