Emergency oiled bird response begins with training. Volunteers from various backgrounds attend emergency oiled seabird response courses held twice a year by the Marine Oil Spill Work Force. This work force is made up primarily of Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Services, BC SPCA, Wildlife Rehabilitators Network of BC, and Wildlife Rescue Association environmental and wildlife experts. An Overview Trained volunteers help environmental and wildlife experts in collecting the injured birds and washing the birds. Oiled birds suffer from hypothermia and will often come to shore in search of a warm shelter.
Volunteers work in teams to gather seabirds into towel-lined boxes.
The birds, once collected, are transported directly to an emergency rehab facility, specifically set up to handle the spill. As soon as the birds arrive at the rehab facility they are placed in heated enclosed covered areas. Experts assess the waterfowl to determine if the bird is strong enough to handle the cleaning procedure. If so, the bird goes into the washing station, if not, it is sent to triage for stabilization. At the washing stations, trained rehabbers give the birds as many as five baths in a special cleaning solution.