UC Davis opens a $2.5 million bird-rescue center in Los Angeles today, the newest facility in the world's most advanced network of emergency centers for wild animals hurt in oil spills. UC Davis veterinarian and network director Jonna Mazet said she is relieved that the new regional center, located in San Pedro, was finished before the next large, destructive oil spill occurs in California waters.
"Until we began developing the Oiled Wildlife Care Network in 1994, we were using makeshift facilities. It's been very, very difficult. When major spills occurred, we often spent the first one or two days setting up a rehabilitation center," Mazet said. "That's like making sick people wait while an emergency room is built."
The $2.5 million Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center was designed to care for up to 1,000 birds that have been coated with, swallowed, or inhaled oil. It was custom-designed according to the expertise accumulated during the past decade by wildlife veterinarians at UC Davis and the California Department of Fish and Game and by oil-spill-response and rehabilitation personnel -- expertise that appears to be dramatically reducing oiled-bird deaths. The 12,000-square-foot center has specialized areas for bird intake, holding, washing, drying, isolation and recovery, as well as for food preparation, medical care and necropsy. Birds will recover in two large pelican aviaries, five smaller wading-bird aviaries or one of eight pools, four of which will contain warm water for quicker healing.
The new facility, operated by the International Bird Rescue Research Center, will also be used to train veterinarians, staff and volunteers for oil-spill rehabilitation. Additionally, International Bird Rescue Research will use the facility to care for birds with non-oil-related injuries during non-spill periods.
In partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District, the facility will also be used to teach grade-school children about wildlife health and conservation issues, with emphasis on the marine environment.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network is managed by the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, which is part of the School of Veterinary Medicine. The network is funded by the California Department of Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response. The Fish and Game monies come from interest on the $50 million California Oil Spill Response Trust Fund, which was built from assessments on the oil industry. Two other wildlife care centers that opened in 1997 at Humboldt State University and in Santa Cruz have already been used to treat thousands of birds oiled in several spills. A third center opened in July 2000 at SeaWorld of San Diego. A San Francisco Bay Area center opened on February 20, 2001, in Suisun City.
"This network is being used as a model for other states and many other countries, including Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Australia and Brazil," Mazet said. "And now, in the Los Angeles area, we are finally prepared for the inevitability of a major oil spill." For a tour or to volunteer at the center, members of the public should contact the International Bird Rescue Research Center at (310) 514-2573.