Cabo Virgenes May 2006 Oil Spill Summary

IFAW responded to requests for assistance and arrived on site in time to start working with the provincial environmental agency, Consejo Agrario Provincial (CAP), reserve personnel and other local organisations to get the facilities up and running.  Team member Dr Valeria Ruoppolo was put in the position of lead veterinarian along with Dr Martinez from CAP.  Team members Rodolfo Pinho da Silva and Julio Reynoso were put in charge of setting up and running the wash and rinse areas and all penguin feeding respectively.

A rehabilitation facility was set up in the nearest town of Rio Gallegos, about 130km from the reserve, and the 182 penguins already in care at Cabo Virgenes Nature Reserve were moved there as soon as possible, thereby allowing reserve personnel to capture more oiled birds from the field.

After the first visual evaluation it was determined that most of the birds were in decent shape, although some were emaciated and required more intensive care.  The first penguins were washed on 22 May.

Some of the issues that the team faced during this response included a problem with the gas line for the water heaters which delayed penguin washing for a few days, as well as sourcing appropriate fish for feeding the penguins.  While waiting for anchovies, the preferred food for the penguins, to be delivered, they had to substitute a different species of fish which is much larger and had to be cut up before feeding.  As well as making the feeding much messier and more labour intensive, this fish was also less nutritious for the penguins than the anchovies.  Having the correct fish is very important; when the birds are eating the correct diet, they gain weight much faster and are generally in much better condition to go through the washing process, thereby speeding up the time spent in care.

After the birds were washed, rinsed and dried, they went out to reconditioning pools to regain their waterproofing.  Since it takes several days for penguins to regain their waterproofing through repeated swimming and preening cycles, the birds were not able to spend the first few nights out in the pools and were kept in a tent to keep them warm as the temperatures varied from around -4°C to -14°C.  The cold weather drastically hindered the waterproofing process, and the team decided to delay their planned departure on 12 June due to the enormous difficulty in getting the birds waterproofed and fit for release.  Although additional indoor pools were constructed and additional heat sources brought in, the birds were still not able to get completely dry and this delayed their release.

In an unprecedented response, on 11 July the government of Santa Cruz Province and the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina) relocated 195 penguins to warmer weather in San Clemente del Tuyú, where Fundación Mundo Marino’s permanent rehabilitation facilities are located. Fundación Mundo Marino (FMM) has collaborated with IFAW for many years, and its coordinator, biologist Sergio Heredia, is a member of the IFAW ER Team. There in San Clemente, teams from IFAW, FMM and CAP helped the birds finish their recovery.

The first birds were released on July 31st with a great deal of media coverage.  A succession of smaller releases followed.

When the team finally demobilized, there were still some birds remaining in care that needed time to recover from different conditions such as anaemia and feather damage.  Having the opportunity to utilize FMM’s permanent rehabilitation facilities for this spill response meant that instead of spending time, energy and money to create a temporary centre, the birds were afforded more time to heal as well as more medical attention.

Total birds treated: 224
Released: 128
Birds in care: 47
Died or euthanized: 49
Rehabilitation rate: 78.1% (175/224)

All birds were released with IFAW Penguin Bands. More information can be found at www.ifaw.org/penguinband. Unfortunately, there have been 3 band returns already and the birds were found dead among a group of 51 un-banded dead penguins, indicating that the birds died for some other reason, most probably related to environmental issues rather than oiling or rehabilitation.  The banded birds were found south of Mar del Plata, in Necochea, around 300 km south of where they were released and 4 weeks later. At least it is good to know that they met other penguins on their journey South.