Page One

A team of bird-rescue experts from Berkeley’s International Bird Rescue Research Center is on its way to the Galapagos Islands, the site of a monstrous oil spill. 

The islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador, are home to a variety of birds and wildlife unknown in other parts of the world. Friday, a ship went aground, spilling 170,000 gallons of diesel fuel, coating masked booby birds, pelicans, sea lions, iguanas and other wildlife with the life-threatening oil. 

“The Darwin Foundation called us the first day the spill happened,” said Coleen Doucette, the rescue center’s rehabilitation manager, referring to the organization located in the islands and dedicated to preserving the fragile environment there. 

That means the team will be able to get an early start on the process that must be completed within a month for the birds to survive, Doucette said.  

At this point, bird rescue staff in Berkeley does not know how many creatures have been contaminated. 

Staff from the bird rescue center recently rescued some 18,000 birds after a spill off the coast of South Africa. 

Doucette said the team of experts has developed a procedure they follow after each spill. 

First they set up a location to which all the oiled birds can be brought.  

They do a physical exam of each bird and clean off its eyes and nose.  

“Once they are stable they start the wash process,” Doucette said.  

Using dish-washing soap, they do a thorough wash process that can include four to 20 different tubs of soapy water.  

The birds cannot have even a drop of oil on it, since that would cause damage to its natural “waterproofing.” The birds’ “waterproofed” feathers prevent water from reaching their skins and causing damage.  

“Once the bird is completely washed, it goes to the rinse,” Doucette said. This part of the process is as important as the wash and must be done just as completely, since the soap can also cause the birds to lose their waterproofing. “With seabirds, there’s no margin for error,” Doucette said. 

The last step before release is placing the birds in a pool for three days where they will be observed to make sure they are fully washed and physically able to survive in the wild. 

The Galapagos Islands were catapulted to fame in the 19th century, when naturalist Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution by studying wildlife there. Formed roughly 4 to 5 million years ago by underwater volcanos, the islands are mostly arid and rocky, dotted more by cactuses than lush vegetation.  

Karen Benzel, spokesperson for the International Bird Rescue Research Center, pointed out that this rescue marks the thirtieth anniversary of the center, founded Jan. 21, 1971 after a big tanker collision in the Bay. At the time, inexperienced volunteers responded to that catastrophe and only 3 percent of the 7,000 birds that were collected survived. Now the center works with professionals to do the rescues, she said.