Environmental authorities are “urgently” trying to determine the source of an oil spill impacting seabirds that are being pulled from waterways in Perth’s south “waterlogged” and “starving”.
WA Seabird Rescue volunteers have rescued 11 pelicans and one spoonbill, which were transferred to WA Wildlife Hospital in Bibra Lake for cleaning.
According to a statement from the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), oiled birds have been discovered at multiple locations including Tonkin Drive in Furnissdale, Wellard Wetlands in Baldivis and Tern Island and Lake Richmond in Safety Bay.
A DWER statement said locations, where the sea birds were known to frequent, were being investigated, but no related oil spills were identified or reported to Pollution Watch.
WA Seabird Rescue volunteer coordinator Halina Burmej said the birds were covered in oil which impaired their feathers’ waterproofing.
“They’re oiled and not waterproof, so they get waterlogged, they get hypothermia, they get cold,” she told Stan Shaw on ABC Perth Breakfast.
“Of course, they need to be waterproof to be able to get in the water and feed, so they’re starving.”
Ms Burmej said the birds were distressed, which made rescues difficult.
“It’s been a case of actually chasing them down by kayak, hauling the bird onto the kayak, and then paddling back to shore,” she said.
“These pelicans are distressed; unfortunately, some of them have died already.”
Once a pelican was rescued, it was transferred to the wildlife hospital, Ms Burmej said.
“A team of volunteers and paid staff, including veterinarians, every afternoon are washing the birds,” she said.
“It takes about 45 minutes to wash a pelican just once.
“And some of these birds are needing to be washed repeatedly, day after day, maybe even six times.”
Oil contamination unclear
DWER is analysing feather samples from the seabirds to analyse the oil composition and determine the source of the contamination.
“There’s lots of work being done by DWER to try and find the location of the spill,” Ms Burmej said.
“We don’t know where it is from but the volunteers are reporting the oil smells like the dirty oil from a car sump.
“It’s something that could have been washed into a drain, and then from the drain, it washes into a wetland.
The first oiled pelican was spotted in late May, Ms Burmej said, and volunteers have been out searching every day since.
