How to Care for Animals After an Oil Spill

There is nothing more heart-wrenching than the photos of oil-covered seabirds and mammals after a large oil spill. The animals, bogged down in oil, cannot clean themselves off and will almost always die without human intervention. Usually during oil spills, teams of rescuers scour the land and waters around the spill searching for wildlife that have been affected. These animals are brought into special centers where experts and volunteers work to care for the animals, usually by cleaning them off and preventing them from ingesting any more oil.

Things You'll Need

  • Dish soap
  • Brush
  • Warm water
  • Water softeners
  • Veterinarian
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the animals from the oil spill area as quickly as possible. The longer the animals are in the spill area, the less chance they have for survival. This work should be done by those trained in animal capture; amateurs should not attempt to touch or capture wild animals, even if the animal is in danger.

    • 2

      Transport the animals to a designated care facility. During oil spills, there are usually a large number of temporary care facilities where veterinarians, biologists and trained volunteers are prepared and awaiting the arrival of affected animals. Upon arrival, an animal will be seen by a vet, who will determine the type of treatment the animal needs.

    • 3

      Clean the oil off of the animal. Many detergents are approved for use in removing oil from affected animals. The most common, which has also proved to be the most effective, is Dawn dish soap. The animal will usually be washed using warm soapy water and a soft scrub brush, then rinsed with warm water that has been softened with water softeners. Because soap is a surfactant, it is able to cut through the oil on the animal's fur or feathers. It usually takes several washings to remove the majority of the oil.

    • 4

      Get the animal treatment from the veterinarian. Because oil is toxic, and the animal likely ingested oil during the spill, a visit to the vet is important to ensure the animal's survival. While the animal is recovering, especially if it still has oil on its body, the vet may require it to wear a cone around its head to prevent it from preening its feathers or fur and ingesting more oil.

    • 5

      Feed the animal food and clean water. The animal will be kept in captivity until it has recovered enough to return to the wild.

    • 6

      Return the animal to a clean area in the wild. The animal will be released in a different place than it was captured, to ensure that it is not harmed again by any residual oil or chemicals in the area.