A how-to on saving oiled birds

Rescue and Rehabilitation of Oiled Birds
A field manual by Erna Walraven
Available from Taronga Zoo PO Box 20, Mosman 2088
$30 pus $8 postage
Reviewed by John Tognolini

How do you pick up a Wandering Albatross? Even more valid a question, how do you pick the poor thing up when it is the victim of an oil spill?

Oil spill disasters are a regular threat to our coastal wildlife because of the floating coffins or ``flag of convenience ships'' that service a large proportion of Australia's maritime trade.

Our television screens don't report all the oil spills that occur regularly across the planet unless there is some spectacular two minute bite like the oil-covered penguins after the recent oil spill disaster off the coast of South Africa.

Walraven has written the first comprehensive Australian manual for the oil disasters. It will be of great assistance to any town or coastal hamlet from Newcastle and Terrigal to any of the island communities of the Torres Strait.

It has excellent illustrations by Rebecca Hale and draws on many experienced individuals and organisations including the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Injured Rescue Emergency Service and Taronga Zoo.

The manual can be obtained by writing to Taronga Park Zoo who also run two-day training workshops on the rescue and rehabilitation of oiled fauna.

The field manual includes a technical section for veterinarians and a booklet for photocopying and handing out to field staff and volunteers.

Apart from recommending this manual, I suggest another be drawn up to deal with oil spills on land. In 1988, 3000 litres of oil spilled from the resort at Victoria's Falls Creek.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
For further details regarding subscriptions and
correspondence please contact glw@greenleft.org.au

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