How do responders clean oiled wildlife?

Sea turtles can become coated in oil, causing a number of health problems. Trained responders can help to clean the sea turtles and release them back into the wild. However, this can be challenging and only a small number of animals can be rescued during oil spills (Credit: NOAA).

Many types of wildlife are impacted by oil spills. Some kinds of animals can be helped after an oil spill, but many cannot. Animals, like shellfish, that can’t move or can’t move fast enough can die from exposure to oil before responders can reach them. Some animals, like whales, are too big and some are too hard to find or catch to bring into rehabilitation centers. Sea turtles and birds, however, are frequently rescued and rehabilitated after oil spills.

Oil spills at sea can spread to habitats where sea turtles are found, including sandy beaches, floating seaweed mats, and open waters. Oil on the shoreline can contaminate nests and hatchlings, and turtles can inhale or ingest (swallow) oil in their habitats at sea. Sea turtles can also become coated in floating oil when they surface to breathe.

*Oiled northern gannet is cleaned at the Theodore Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).*

Birds, especially those that spend most of their time on the water, are also vulnerable to the effects of oiling. Oil can clog feathers and cause them to mat, separate, or lose their natural waterproofing. Birds coated with oil may not be able to fly, may get sick from accidentally ingesting oil while trying to clean their feathers, may suffer from hypothermia, or may drown from reduced buoyancy.

Professionally trained wildlife rescuers can capture, assess, and clean oiled wildlife like turtles and seabirds. Once the animals are brought into rehabilitation centers, veterinarians and other trained partners carefully wash away oil residue using dish detergents. They then rinse, dry, and monitor the animals for recovery. The rehabilitated animals can then be released back into the wild! After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, rescuers cleaned and released more than 1,200 birds and more than 300 adult sea turtles. Rescuers also recovered eggs from 275 sea turtle nests, later releasing more than 14,000 sea turtle hatchlings!