|
Antofagasta, Chile
 |
| Oiled Peruvian
pelican |
L
ocal fisherman and wildlife along
the northern coast of Chile continue
to be impacted by oil from a recent
spill. On November 1, 2005 a Hong
Kong-flagged cargo ship (Eider)
ran aground near Antofagasta, spilling
heavy bunker fuel and fouling over
7 km of Chilean coastline. Wildlife
rescue professionals from International
Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC)
are helping treat the avian spill
victims which include Peruvian Pelicans
and Humboldt penguins. Thirteen
rare green sea turtles were captured
and relocated before they were harmed.
Doctor Carlos Guerra,
who teaches at the University of
Antofagasta, said oil installations
along the coastline represent a
new threat to Chile’s coastal
waters. Chilean legislators have
called upon the government to declare
the affected coastline a catastrophe
area. At the request of Dr. Guerra,
oiled wildlife responders from the
International Fund for Animal Welfare’s
Emergency Relief (ER) Team arrived
to help University staff and volunteers
capture and clean animals affected
by the spill.
The ER team is comprised
of Spanish speaking responders including:
IFAW Penguin
Network Coordinator, Valeria
Ruoppolo and IBRRC intern Jose Maria
Barredo, who is in training at IBRRC’s
Northern California facility.
Many times IBRRC interns
learn oil spill work first hand.
“This is what they train us
to do, and getting to actually work
as part of the IBRRC response team
in an actual spill is the best learning
experience I can have”, said
Barredo, who is from Mexico.
 |
IBRRC
intern Jose Maria Barredo
works in Chile. |
As of November 15, 2005
animals in care at the University
of Antofagasta Wildlife Center included
20 Peruvian pelicans (Pelecanus
thagus), one Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus
humboldti) and two Franklin's gulls
(Larus pipixcan). Since the spill,
one gull died in care. One penguin
was dead on arrival.
The ER Team members
are working with University staff
and volunteers to provide guidance
and training on oiled wildlife response
management, care of oiled animals
and development of the washing and
reconditioning systems.
IBRRC co-manages the
IFAW Emergency Relief Team (ER)
- Oiled Wildlife Division which
responds to oiled wildlife around
the world and provides training
and other services related to oiled
wildlife. A cornerstone of this
program is increasing local capacity,
by training local staff and volunteers
prior to and during responses.
IBRRC has long been
committed to advancing the field
of oiled wildlife response and as
part of that commitment operates
an international internship program
that trains individuals from other
counties in all aspects of oiled
wildlife response. These interns
are often become part of the international
response team after their training.
For more information
about IBRRC and their programs visit
www.ibrrc.org.
For information about
IFAW’s Emergency Relief program
visit www.ifaw.org.
|
