The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has located more than 100 oiled birds due to a spill from the Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse. LDWF Restoration Program Manager Jon Wiebe said the spill is associated with Hurricane Ida’s path. He said there’s a fair bit of oil near the levee that surrounds the refinery.
“And we’re in the process now of capturing those birds if we can.” Said Wiebe.
The oiled birds are being transferred to a restoration center in New Iberia. Wiebe said their stay there depends on the condition of the bird.
“Sometimes it could be as short as a couple of days, other times it may go longer than that,” said Wiebe.
Alliance Refinery is assisting with the recovery along with LDWF, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinators’ Office, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wiebe said if you find an oiled bird or any animal do not try to rescue it yourself, call LDWF and give them the location of the animal. Wiebe said you can do more harm than good for the animal that is already stressed.
“We have folks that are trained to not only capture these animals in a safe fashion but also to be safe in association with oil that’s coated on these animals,” said Wiebe.
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