Rescued oiled birds are "badly soiled": Wildlife Rescue Association

The Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C.says it could be a few weeks before threebufflehead ducks that are"badly soiled" bybunker oil from last week's fuelspill in Vancouver's English Baycan be released.

The City of Vancouver said on the weekend that up to 30 birds could be impacted by the oil that leaked from the grain ship MV Marathassa.

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The Wildlife Rescue Association says the three ducks in their care were picked up from Second Beach in Stanley Park. It says themale and two females are "badly soiled" and suffering from severe irritation to their eyes and skin.

Oil can have devastating impacts on seabirds because it coats their feathers and ruins their buoyancy, said spokeswoman Yolanda Brooks. It also affects their ability to thermoregulate.

"The birds become very obsessive about trying to get this stuff off their feathers because they won't survive if they don't get it off," Brooks told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff.

"So they often beach themselves if they're trying to get the oil off their feathers. That leaves them open to predators coming to get them."

Brooks said oiled seabirds are often in shock, and it can take a while to stabilize them before they can be bathed.

The three bufflehead ducks in the rescue organization's care will soon be washed, but since the process is stressful for the animals, it could take between a weekto several weeks before they can be released, Brooks said.

To hear the full interview with Yolanda Brooks, listen to the audio labelled: B.C. wildlife centre cares for heavily oiled ducks