SeaWorld's is the only facility in the network with the equipment and expertise to treat the full spectrum of wildlife most likely to be affected by a spill, said Jonna Mazet, chief veterinarian for California's Oiled Wildlife Care Network. Researchers at UC Davis , where Mazet is a professor, have developed techniques that have increased the effectiveness of treatment and minimized the trauma wild creatures experience when they're cleaned of oil. As a result, oil-fouled sea birds that previously had a 95 percent mortality rate now have a 55 percent chance of surviving treatment and being released into the wild, Mazet said. SeaWorld's animal care staff has been trained in these latest techniques, and Lauren DuBois, a penguin expert at the theme park, is applying them as one of nearly 500 volunteers trying to save an estimated 19,000 birds affected by a June 23 oil spill off the coast of South Africa. Wildlife rehabilitation efforts are expected to continue through September, she said.
Every day is different.
Penguins are a hardy species that aren't as easily traumatized as other birds when handled by humans.