Statement of Ed Clark, President and Co-Founder, Wildlife Center of Virginia

Like wildlife lovers around the world, the Wildlife Center of Virginia has been monitoring the situation in the Gulf of Mexico, as oil from the massive blowout of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform steadily advances on the fragile coastline of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.  The potential impact on wildlife defies the imagination. 

In the aftermath of the large-scale human disasters following Hurricane Katrina and the recent earthquake in Haiti, thousands of people were highly motivated to offer their help in any way possible, whether through financial gifts or hands-on labor.   The same situation is emerging as this oil spill begins to claim its first wild victims.    We are already getting calls at the Wildlife Center asking if we will be involved in the care of oiled wildlife in the Gulf states, and seeking information about volunteering time and effort to help rescue and care for wildlife. 

Right now the situation on the Gulf is still developing, so we don’t really know what may eventually be needed, where, or for how long.  However, currently things are under control and response operations are underway.  Our colleagues and friends at the Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research Center in Wilmington, Delaware have been contracted to manage all wildlife rescue and care operations that result from this spill.  Tri-State is one of the two organizations in the world most qualified to respond to this kind of event, and they are very experienced at both caring for the wildlife and managing the human and physical resources needed to respond.  At this point, they are on-site with a full professional team.  The materials they will need are arriving and the first birds are starting to come in.   

I spoke with the Director of Tri-State yesterday.  At this point they do not want or need untrained volunteers to participate in this effort.   The best thing people can do is to stay away from wildlife rescue operations unless and until things change.  Even if operations need to expand, the priority will be to recruit those will specialized skills and experience.  Oil spill response centers are very carefully and precisely run operations, and “having too much help” can be a serious problem.

There are a few critical points to keep in mind in this situation:

* Unlike the disasters caused by Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti, this is not a natural disaster where much of the relief effort was paid for with charitable giving.  This is a manmade environmental problem.  While wildlife and fragile habitats are certain to be affected in the coming weeks, the responsible parties, known to all, will be sent the bill for the response and clean-up of this horrifying event.  At this point, we anticipate the wildlife care facilities to be staffed primarily by professionals.   At least until the eventual scope of the impact is known, there will be little for interested volunteers to do.

* The care of oiled wildlife is an extremely specialized endeavor that does not lend itself to participation by untrained volunteers.  The extended contact with the oil itself requires specialized certification in hazardous materials management.   The animals are under great stress as a result of the oil, the capture and captivity, and the necessary handling required to remove the oil.  Guideline and criteria have been issued for eligible personnel (see below).

* Because there is a responsible party who will have to pay the cost of caring for oiled wildlife, you should be very wary of organizations seeking donations with which to “respond” to the spill or “care for” affected wildlife.  Solicitations are already showing up in the mail and in our email inboxes, some from very well-known organizations, asking for your help to respond to the oil spill.   However, these organizations are not involved with the actual hands-on work with wildlife.   At this stage of things nobody should have a legitimate cause to raise money to care for oiled wildlife in this event.   The professionals on site are all from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research Center, and their work is paid for by the oil company.  The cleaning of wildlife is not supported by charitable giving!!   Unfortunately, events like this often inspire predatory fundraising by unprincipled groups seeking to capitalize on the compassion of the public.  

Be very suspicious of organizations claiming your contributions will help oiled wildlife.  Read their statements carefully.  While some can truthfully claim to be working on regulations and policies to protect wildlife from such spills in the future, or limit the threat from off-shore drilling, any organization claiming to be raising money for the direct care of animals should be investigated thoroughly before your send your contributions.   

Depending on how long it takes to stem the flow of oil gushing from the seabed in the Gulf, things may change dramatically, but for now the response effort is well-planned, and the personnel on the scene very capable.  The Wildlife Center of Virginia has no immediate plans to be directly involved in the response.   I have spoken with my colleagues at Tri-State and let them know that we are here if they need us.  I have also authorized Dr. Dave McRuer, Director of Veterinary Services at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, to offer our support should the response effort extend into the weeks and months ahead.  If relief services are needed, our veterinary and animal care staff are trained and able to participate in this type of disaster response, and will be on-call for our colleagues on the front lines.   

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has issued the following statement, announcing that people who have specialized skills wishing to participate can submit their names and credentials.  There may be opportunities for volunteers or other temporary staff in the days ahead; contact information is provided for these activities as well.    Here at the Wildlife Center, we’ll try to stay current on the events in the Gulf and post updates as appropriate.  If you have specific questions, feel free to call our office.

Thank you for your interest and concern.

STATEMENT BY THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE:

REQUEST FOR WILDLIFE PARAPROFESSIONAL INFORMATION

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research (Tri-State) who is contracted by British Petroleumto provide wildlife assistance for species who may be impacted by the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Service recognizes Tri-State’s expertise inwildlife oil spill response and, while many wildlife organizations and individuals have expressed interest in providing their assistance, all rehabilitation efforts must be coordinated through the Service and Tri-State. Coordination is vitally important for recovery and research efforts, and specific safety requirements and other requirements must be met before anyone will be allowed on-site for any participation.

 The Service and Tri-State have designated a Paraprofessional Coordinator (PPC) to compile a list and organize scheduling of potential responders providing the information requested below. Paraprofessionals located within the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas will have first preference in scheduling and will be scheduled for efforts located within their home state.  If you are located outside of these states and are interested in providing wildlife assistance, please submit the same requested information. All responders will be contacted by the PPC when their assistance is needed.

 State rehabilitation organizations, permitted wildlife rehabilitation organizations or private rehabilitators can help now by providing the following information if you would be available to assist in the oil spill response efforts.  You must include your name, address including city and state, phone number (prefer cell phone and alternate numbers), email address, if you have prior oil spill experience, and how far you can travel, as well as:

a. If you are a Rehabilitator with at least 6 months of experience;

b. What species you have experience with, i.e. wading birds, raptors, pelagic seabirds, waterfowl, etc.  It would also be beneficial to know if you are a veterinarian or an avian veterinarian, a veterinary technician, or a well-seasoned rehabilitator;

c. If you have a minimum of 4 hours of HAZCOM certification;

d. If you have Rabies pre-exposure shots;

e. Your availability. (this can be a rough estimate by identifying dates available)

Please direct inquires or any calls about your interest in providing wildlife assistance to fw4ppc@fws.gov or to 404/679-7049.

A paraprofessional is defined as individuals that:

1.    Either possess, or work directly under a person possessing, an active permit or authorization related to the species to be worked on;

2.    Are affiliated with a wildlife organization working within the Wildlife Branch of the Incident Command Structure (ICS),or are a staff member of a wildlife Trustee agency;

3.    Agree to work under, and abide by, appropriate planning documents prepared by the Unified Command (such as Site Safety Plan, Incident Action Plan, public affairs requirement, etc.) and

4.    Have a working knowledge and experience (at least 3 months) with the general protocol, procedures and safety hazards associated with working on the species of question.

Anyone who does not qualify as a paraprofessional and is still interested in volunteering, may register at Gulf of Mexico- Deepwater Horizon Incident

All oiled wildlife calls should be directed to the Wildlife Hotline at 1-866-557-1401 so we can coordinate recovery/rescue.

It is important that you please avoid going to affected areas or handling wildlife until you are part of a coordinated response effort. Thank you in advance for your assistance and for your willingness to help America’s wildlife.

International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

Conserving and protecting wildlife and habitat through wildlife rehabilitation.