Penguins return to wild after NZ oil spill rescue

The birds released Nov. 22 are among 343 little blue penguins that have been cleaned of oil since a cargo ship ran aground on a reef near Tauranga on Oct. 5 and spilled some 400 tons of fuel oil.

Three little blue penguins stand by a water pool during a cleaning session to get rid of fuel oil from their bodies at the wildlife facility in Tauranga, New Zealand, Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. The penguins were rescued from the sea polluted by oil leaked from the Liberia-flagged container ship Rena that has already spilled hundreds of tons of oil since it ran aground Oct. 5 on Astrolabe Reef, 14 miles (22 kilometers) from Tauranga Harbour on New Zealand's North Island. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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How to clean an oil-slicked penguin

Biologist Jeremy Gray is among those volunteering at the Oiled Wildlife Response Centre in Tauranga, New Zealand, after the Rena oil spill. He explains how to clean rescued wildlife.

I got put on the wildlife team as I am a biologist in real life. I'm "nurse" to the vets here - handing them equipment, cleaning stuff and such like - while they wash the birds. On Wednesday there were four vets and two nurses, and hopefully more tomorrow.

The response centre has been set up at a wastewater treatment plant that can handle up to 500 birds.

First the penguins must be warm and happy - most are kept overnight before washing, as it is very stressful and they need to get their strength up.

Then the birds are brought into the cleaning room and put on the table.

Normally detergent is used to clean wildlife caught in an oil slick. But the fuel oil that's spilled from the Rena is really thick, so we first rinse the birds with canola oil, sold as cooking oil at the supermarket. This helps soften the fuel oil and get off the really thick stuff.

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US oil companies prosecuted over 28 bird deaths - 400,000 wind farm deaths ignored

Wind farms kill 400,000 birds - So why no prosecution?
September 2011: Seven oil companies have been charged under America's Migratory Bird Treaty Act, for the killing of 28 migratory birds.

The oil-related bird deaths, which included members of 12 different species, happened in May and June this year. The statutory maximum sentence is six months in federal prison and a $15,000 fine. The case is due to be heard at the end of the month in North Dakota.

Birds died in oil waste pits
The birds died after landing in oil waste pits associated with the companies' oil and gas extraction facilities in North Dakota . The birds land in the pits believing they are ponds and become contaminated with the oil. Birds can become poisoned and drown as a result. Court records show that all seven companies have previously been charged with similar violations.

The birds killed in the oil pits were mostly waterfowl, including mallards, gadwall, northern pintails, a northern shoveler and blue-winged teal.

United States attorney Tim Purdon said: ‘These allegations of violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by companies operating in North Dakota 's oil patch should be troubling to those interested in preserving North Dakota's rich heritage of hunting and fishing and to the many oil companies who work hard to follow the laws protecting our wildlife.

Wind farms kill 400,000 birds a year
‘We are committed to enforcing laws that protect North Dakota's outdoors and to providing companies who follow the law with a level economic playing field.'

While welcoming the prosecutions, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) - the nation's leading bird conservation organisation - reports that the wind industry has yet to face a single charge, despite being responsible for more than 400,000 bird deaths each year.

ABC president George Fenwick said: ‘I commend the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Justice Department for enforcing the law in these cases. Oil pits are a known hazard to birds and the solutions to prevent these bird deaths are straightforward to implement.

'This looks like a double standard'
‘However, it is perplexing that similar prosecutions have yet to be brought against the operators of wind farms. Every year wind turbines kill hundreds of thousands of birds, including eagles, hawks, and songbirds but the operators are being allowed to get away with it. It looks like a double standard.'

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimated in 2009 that about 440,000 birds were being killed by wind turbines. With America's ambitious wind-power project, mortality is expected to dramatically increase in the coming years, unless there are significant changes in the way wind farms are sited and operated.

Based on studies, one wind farm in California is estimated to have killed more than 2,000 eagles, plus thousands of other birds, yet no prosecution has been initiated for violations of federal laws protecting birds. The FWS is presently contemplating enacting voluntary - not mandatory - guidelines for the siting and operation of wind farms.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bird-death-prosecution.html