We visited the oiled wildlife center at Fort Jackson, LA, yesterday, and were able to watch them clean a brown pelican that had been found by a rig near the oiled area 70 miles offshore. It was incredibly sad to see the birds this way, but it gave me a small amount of hope that at least a few can be saved.
This yearling female brown pelican was brought in on 5/21/10. The oiled birds are kept in boxes in a special "ICU" trailer until they are cleaned. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
Veterinarian Erica Miller (right) said this bird was particularly oily. The pelican was squirted with canola oil in preparation for cleaning. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
The pelican was washed in four specially engineered tubs, each containing a different percentage of Dawn detergent. The first tub contained a 7% solution. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
The animal rehab technicians must be specially trained to handle animals, as well as biohazardous materials. Technicans are sprayed off after the bathing process, alongside the pelican. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
Because a pelican's feathers are naturally waterproof, spraying them with water actually helps dry them off. Water temperature is kept between 101 and 102 degrees Farenheit. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine.
The cleaned pelican was taken to a drying room where she would be kept for several hours to dry and recuperate. Today she will be taken to an outdoor pen and will stay there for several more days before being taken to Florida to be released. Veterinarian Erica Miller (shown here) said chances are pretty good the bird will make it. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine