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0800 774 554
(0800 SPILL INFO)
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Updated 9.00am 16 January 2011
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Information about the wildlife release
Who is NOWRT?
NOWRT is trained, managed and coordinated by specialists at Massey University's New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre in Palmerston North, under contract to MNZ. Its members include vets, pathologists and wildlife technicians. Regional councils around the country also contribute personnel.
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What specialist equipment does NOWRT have to deal with any oiled wildlife?
NOWRT has specialised units, which are housed in a standard shipping container, can be transported by road, rail or sea to deal with wildlife during an oil spill. Each unit has three wash stations at which oiled birds and other wildlife can be carefully washed and rinsed – a process that takes about 40 minutes.
Along with washing and treatment facilities, the centre has on-site vets and ornithologists. Long-term enclosures are being built to house the birds until their habitats are safe for them to return to.
The Oiled Wildlife Response Team set up a wildlife response staging area around Te Kaha on 20 October, to support roving response teams that are working right around the coast from Opotiki to Te Araroa.
Where are the oiled wildlife centres located?
Oiled wildlife response centres have been established on Mōtītī Island, Te Kaha and in Te Maunga. The wildlife team working on the response includes veterinarians, expert responders and ornithologists with experience in the capture and treatment of oiled birds. Beach searches on Mōtītī Island and the Maketu Peninsula are being undertaken and there are also three boats doing marine sweeps.
The Oiled Wildlife Response Team established a wildlife response staging area around Te Kaha on 20 October to support the roving response teams that are working right around the coast from Opotiki to Te Araroa.
Are any endangered species in the area?
Yes, the endangered New Zealand dotterel has been affected. There are 60 dotterels in captivity at the centre – they have been caught to protect them from the oil.
The wildlife team set 60 of the 100 adult dotterel in the Bay of Plenty as the target to be caught to ensure the sustainability of this population. It is extremely important that these precious birds are only handled by the team of trained wildlife experts.
There are only about 1,500 dotterels in existence. A special aviary has been constructed at the wildlife facility to cater to the needs of these rare birds. Dotterel can live for 25 years and although eggs are being abandoned, they will be able to breed again next year. Any chicks will be recovered.
How are the penguins doing?
Oiled Wildlife Response Manager Kerri Morgan said it was important to monitor the penguin's health and condition, especially at feeding times. The penguins are all doing really well and have a great fighting spirit.
They are fed with either sprats or anchovies, but it is important to ensure that none of the natural oils from the fish get on the birds' feathers, as this can damage their natural waterproofing. The penguins get fed twice a day and eat five to seven fish per feeding. They also have one swim a day. This lets them condition and preen their feathers, which is crucial to their re-waterproofing.
New enclosures are being built for little blue penguins at the Wildlife Response Centre at Te Maunga. Five of the10 enclosures had been completed by Friday morning. Each aviary can house up to approximately 25 penguins, and has an indoor pool and communal areas for the penguins to preen, feed and swim. The enclosures will be able to house them more comfortably long term. It is too early to say when they can be released, but we want to ensure all the penguins are healthy and well nourished before this takes place.
Who is working on the oiled wildlife response?
There are 140 people in 39 teams in the field working on the wildlife response. They are scoring kilometres of coastline looking for oiled wildlife.
Where have they been working?
Teams have been working on beaches from Mount Maunganui to Maketu spit and on Mōtītī and Tūhua islands. They have compiled information on species and numbers to be expected and monitoring the condition of the live birds they see. They have also been conducting night operations to recover little blue penguins.
DoC vessel Matariki has been patrolling the coast and inspecting some of the smaller islands.
Many reports of seals have been received and the seals are being checked. Wet seals are easily mistaken for oiled ones and healthy seals will be left on the beach. A fur seal plan has been developed in the event that seals become affected by oil. This plan covers people, equipment and facilities as well as the possible capture of seals. The 13 dead fur seals that have been identified were not oiled.
How does the response measure up?
The wildlife response to the Rena oil spill has been praised as one of the quickest in the world, thanks to excellent foresight and planning systems. Seven international experts are working at the wildlife centre. Alternate Wildlife Centre Manager Curt Clumpner, who has worked on numerous oil spills since the Exxon Valdez Alaska disaster, says New Zealand's response is one of the quickest he has seen.
“The speed of response in New Zealand is among the top two or three countries in the world,” says Mr Clumpner, an American from International Bird Rescue. “The wildlife response centre was set up and ready to clean birds within a day of the grounding. That’s incredibly quick compared to other spills I’ve been involved in.
Mike Ziccardi, Director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at UC Davis University in California, says the focus is on getting the job done with none of the political wrangling that has marred some clean up efforts in the USA.
“As soon as the Rena grounded Kerri Morgan from the National Oiled Wildlife Response Centre emailed her international networks to check everyone’s availability,” says Dr Ziccardi. “That’s the first time I’ve seen that happen – a testament to the sense of cooperation here. The response really has been fantastic.
What wildlife is in the area?
Department of Conservation (DoC) has advised that there are Petrels, Little Blue Penguins and a seal colony in the stretch of coastline affected by oil. DoC and the National Oiled Wildlife Response Team (NOWRT) are monitoring the situation and have equipment and personnel standing by.
A behind-the-scenes tour of the Oiled Wildlife Response facility in Tauranga with Dr Brett Gartrell.
Can I still walk my dog on the beach?
People should avoid walking dogs on the beach and should not enter any restricted areas. If dogs or other domestic animals do get oiled, please call the wildlife response team for assistance on 0800 333 771.
What should I do if I find some oiled wildlife?
Members of the public encountering oiled wildlife on the coastline are advised NOT to handle wildlife themselves, or attempt to move or clean the animals. The wildlife team will need precise details of the location, animal species and numbers of any oiled animals encountered. Oiled animals will be transported by the wildlife team.
Given the safety concerns, members of the public should not be heading out on the water to assist with recovery of injured animals or go anywhere near the grounded vessel. An exclusion zone remains in place around the vessel
If members of the public see any affected wildlife please report this to the special phone number 0800 333 771.
Is the cause of death being established for any dead birds found?
Yes. Post-mortems are being carried out on the birds that have been collected to determine if oiling is the cause of death.
How can the public help?
Any volunteer action should be coordinated through the Incident Command Centre. Volunteers who want to assist the wildlife response should contact the wildlife team on 0800 333 771.
Warning
MNZ is also warning the public of scam callers after reports to the Wildlife team reporting people receiving phone calls asking for donations.
What is happening?
Staged release of some of the cleaned birds from the wildlife facility at Te Maunga is starting this week.
As at 20 November, there were around 400 birds at the wildlife facility.
This included around 340 little blue penguins, several pied shags and 60 rare New Zealand dotterel, which were pre-emptively caught to protect them from oil after Rena grounded.
The birds will be released in stages as they become ready for release and their habitats are signed off as ready to receive them.
How do you know the birds are ready?
The birds will only be released after assessment of both the individual animals and their habitats.
Each individual bird will undergo blood tests and other veterinarian checks to ensure it is ready for release.
All birds will also have to pass the “six hour test” where they swim for six hours without a break before being assessed to ensure their waterproofing is returned.
The oil coats the birds’ feathers, which are designed to act as a waterproof coat. After the birds are washed and rinsed, they preen themselves and that helps the feathers regain their waterproofing.
How do you know their habitat is ready?
Our oiled wildlife response experts have thoroughly assessed each area of habitat which was affected by the oil spill to ensure it is suitable for wildlife release.
The oil spill response team has targeted the areas where the birds live to remove as much oil as possible.
There is still oil on the beach – isn’t this a problem?
All the habitats that the birds are being released into have been “signed off” by oiled wildlife experts as clean enough for the animals to return to.
The beaches are not the same as they were before Rena grounded. There is residual oil in the sand and in the water and this is likely to be the case for some time.
Our oiled wildlife experts have assessed the birds’ habitats and determined that the residual oil poses only a minimal risk.
Why don’t you release the birds somewhere else, where there is no oil?
Little blue penguins and dotterels are very territorial and will always try to return to their own habitats. If the birds were released on another coastline, they would return home anyway.
Great care has been taken to ensure birds are released to the same habitats they were taken from.
What if there is another spill from the Rena?
Although there is a risk of a further spill of the residual oil on board Rena, it is unknown when or where any further oil spill might wash up.
This risk has to be balanced against the risk of keeping the birds in captivity for too long.
The birds are wild animals and they belong in the wild. The longer the birds are kept in captivity, the greater the chance of disease or injury.
There are health risks associated with long term captivity and care. These risks are all carefully considered in making the decision to release the birds.
Will you monitor the birds?
A monitoring programme is now underway, to assess how the birds adapt to being back in the wild long term. All penguins have been micro-chipped to enable identification of individual birds once they are released.
Have the birds been affected by their time in captivity?
The birds have all been through a very stressful process and this may have an affect on their health in the future. They will be monitored to measure the long-term effects of this event.
However, they have all been thoroughly checked to ensure they are healthy and given the best chance of survival.
Previous research shows adult birds do not become “tame” through periods of captivity and the birds should not be affected in this way.
When will all the birds be released?
This will be a staged process, with birds only being released once they have been given a clean bill of health and their habitats signed off as ready. It is too early to say exactly when this will be.
What will happen to the wildlife facility?
The wildlife facility at Te Maunga will slowly be dismantled as the cleaned birds move through the washing, re-waterproofing and salt water process and become ready for release.
However, a few permanent structures, and equipment, will remain at the site, until Rena is off the reef and there is no longer any threat of a further oil spill from the wreck.
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