Why Care for Oiled Wildife?

There are many questions that arise during oil spills about the value of caring for wildlife. Some argue that the care of individual oiled animals does very little for populations or ecosystems, therefore is a waste of valuable resources. Others feel that, as a society, we have a moral obligation to repair human-caused damage to the environment, which includes the rehabilitation of oil-affected wildlife. While the OWCN has been tasked by the citizens of California to “provide the best achievable capture and care to oil-affected wildlife,” we also attempt to address many of these issues:

• In-Care Mortality: A fact of oiled wildlife response is that even in the best of circumstances many oil-affected animals will die in the rehabilitation center. The OWCN is able to successfully release, on average, 50-75% of all live animals collected in oil spills, but this figure is very dependent on the time of year, the type of oil spilled, the species affected, and weather patterns. During non-spill periods the OWCN strives to increase survival rates by having facilities and personnel on standby 365 days a year, and constantly researching better ways to quickly capture and care for affected birds and mammals.
• Post-Release Mortality: It is extremely difficult to assess how rehabilitated oiled animals do once they are released into a clean environment. Birds are given permanent leg bands prior to release but, according to the USGS Bird Banding Lab, the return rates for this type of marker are extremely low.  Mammals are also marked before release, but following them is both cost- and labor-intensive.  The OWCN is dedicated to better understanding how well released wildlife survive, and has found that they survive better after release than previous studies have shown.
• Long-term injury: Even if oiled birds are successfully released and survive, many question whether these animals return to “normal.” Experimental studies ([link to effects page] have shown that oil exposure in wildlife species can significantly affect behavior, reproduction, overall health, and essential biological functions. The OWCN addresses these concerns through intensive medical management of each captured animal and working to better understand the long-term effects of oil on wildlife. We do this by continually improving our animal care protocols, conducting and funding research, and following released animals so we can associate medical findings with successful survival.
• Animal “Value”: During oil spills, different species at different ages are affected. Some argue that, because many young-of-the-year animals do not normally survive to adulthood, only reproductively active animals should be rehabilitated. Others argue that individuals from more abundant species should not be collected during spills as they have a low “intrinsic value” to the population compared to endangered species. The OWCN collects all oiled wildlife that can be safely captured for a number of reasons. First, all affected wildlife are considered evidence during any subsequent legal investigations. Second, all animals can quickly receive the best care possible (versus suffering in the environment). Third, the care of abundant species during spills can provide excellent training and research opportunities for threatened species.  Last, each collected oiled animal provides valuable information as to how we can modify and improve our animal care protocols.
• Costs: It has been argued by many that oiled wildlife rehabilitation is prohibitively expensive and that these funds should be redirected toward population-level restoration and conservation efforts. Oiled wildlife response is certainly costly at times, but oil spills, by their very nature, are expensive. The Exxon Valdez oil spill is often cited as an example where wildlife care efforts were excessive, yet wildlife recovery and care accounted for less than 5% of the overall costs of the response. The OWCN strives to make our efforts as cost and resource effective as possible while providing the best achievable capture and care of wildlife affected during spills. We do this by having facilities, equipment and personnel pre-identified and available at all times.

Also, lower rehabilitation costs do not necessarily equate to more funds being available for other environmental efforts. In the United States, the “spiller” is responsible for both response costs (where wildlife recovery and rehabilitation are included) and restoration costs (costs associated with returning the environment back to pre-spill conditions). The OWCN also plays a vital role in this latter process, providing data for California’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment (or NRDA).  This activity places a monetary value on the damage to the environment and its resources. For more details on how the OWCN’s and NRDA’s efforts work together, please click here.