Dozens of Oiled Seabirds Rehabilitated and Released Into The Wild
Mina Wahab
VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) — International Bird Rescue CEO, JD Bergeron, says after working closely with the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, they have successfully released 24 of the roughly 130 western grebes brought into their San Pedro facility. There are still more birds being rehabilitated right now. “Essentially every day we are seeing birds that are ready to go. So there’s one ready to go. Today, we’re expecting a handful of them again tomorrow. So these birds are really moving along. We want them fat. No, No exterior wounds and no infections. That’s the key thing that we’re looking at,” said Bergeron. Unfortunately, nearly a third of the grebes brought in to the rescue died upon arrival or within the first few days because of the critical condition they were in. Bergeron says western grebes are among the most challenging water birds to rehabilitate. “They’re very delicate. Things can go wrong with their their intestines, with their digestion, with their feet,” said Bergeron. But he’s proud of how much his team has done. “We’re dealing with a big crisis and yet we do love working with the species. They make crazy noises. They’re so goofy looking and also just amazing creatures,” said Bergeron. Most of the western grebes were brought in from Ventura, but were released in LA.