Comments on: Should Oiled Birds Be Cleaned?

By: The Great Penguin Rescue | Surprising Science

The Great Penguin Rescue | Surprising Science — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:17:47 +0000

[...] time and effort to clean the animals up, or would it be better to just let them die? Last June, I wrote: Some scientists, however, have questioned the value of putting so much effort into saving birds [...]

By: Sarah Zielinski

Sarah Zielinski — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:14:48 +0000

Stuart, I think you misread this. They had released only 40 birds from the current spill, not in the whole of their existence. As of today, they’ve now rescued more than 600 live birds and released 42. The release takes a while because they have to stabilize the birds’ health and clean them—this happens over days to weeks—and only once they’re sure that the birds are healthy enough do they release them into the wild. So right now they have pens full of live birds and most of them will eventually end up back in the wild.

By: Stuart Boyer

Stuart Boyer — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:04:31 +0000

In 40 years, IBRRC has identified 400+ birds, of which it has determined that 40 could be released back to the wild. This is an amazingly low success rate, even assuming that all of them will live happy lives. The amount of effort that went into “saving” these 40 birds is not worth it. The problem is convincing those people who benefitted from scrubbing the unfortunate birds to enjoy doing something that will be worth the effort.

By: Paula Morgan

Paula Morgan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:32:20 +0000

I believe they should be cleaned and cared for. Why is their life (or any creature’s life, for that matter)any less significant than a human’s. We made the mess, we need to clean it up!

By: Tweets that mention Should Oiled Birds Be Cleaned? | Surprising Science -- Topsy.com

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:19:04 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Marshall, Carrie. Carrie said: RT @KevinMarshall: http://bit.ly/ayQcCQ – towards the bottom. [...]

By: Richard Blacksmith

Richard Blacksmith — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:52:56 +0000

If my body was strong enough to clean a big Pelican, and
If I was able to do that then it’s MY business. It is no body elses business. To heck with what other people think is practical. —Richard

By: Martha C

Martha C — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:23:45 +0000

Included in the cleaning of the birds, it would be a good idea to band and possibly fit with transmission materials so that a good reading on how successfully the birds cope after being cleaned can be obtained. It would tell us whether they return to the same place, how long they live, how successful they are at breeding. This seems like it would be valuable information, and this situation seems ideal for gathering this data.

By: Sarah Hall

Sarah Hall — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:08:33 +0000

Oil spills and toxic chemicals seem to be the two substances that cause the most stressing conditions for birds in their natural environment. I think the birds should be cleaned as soon as possible and then banded and monitored, if possible, to create survival data. I had a 6-month old kitten that jumped into a bucket of car oil and, after tramatic cleaning, seemed to be fine and glad to be rid of the oil. The most critical factor is how long the bird has been covered in the oil. The sooner the birds are found and cleaned, the better the chances for survival. Kudos to those who are doing the work of cleaning and relocating!

By: sharon

sharon — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:37:24 +0000

I think compassion compels us to respond and care for them. As someone else said – humans created this disaster – a form or environmental abuse.
I am a 3 time cancer survivor, and even though my expected life span may be shorter than others, I am glad no one said “Why bother saving her?”

By: Danna Castillo

Danna Castillo — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:40:41 +0000

Humans have created this disaster for these creatures. It is only right that we do what we can to save them. No matter what it takes. It is Humankinds responsibility to be kind and right the wrong that BP has done to an ecosystem. BP has the main responibility but we all carry some of the responsibility to what has happened in the Gulf.

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:10:28 +0000

I think the point about birds returning to their oil-soaked homes to get dirty again and die is a good one … but we need data to determine.

From a biologic viewpoint, if the birds survive to breed then does it matter if their lifespans are shortened?