Publication of a brand new international oiled wildlife response standard

We are proud to announce that IPIECA/IOGP have just released a new publication, Key principles for the protection, care and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife.

This document was developed under the Global Oiled Wildlife Response System project, contracted by Sea Alarm and supported with funding from IPIECA/IOGP, as part of the Joint Industry Project 2015-2016. The project partners discussed and documented the Key Principles of wildlife care as a project delivery, with the University of California at Davis acting as the editor of the publication.

Based on the quality and usefulness of the document, IPIECA/IOGP decided to publish it as an international standard of good practice in their current Good Practice Guidance report series. Publication of this document further strengthens the oil industry’s aim to provide leadership in defining the criteria for sound oiled wildlife preparedness and response.

The new document (which can be downloaded here) provides strategic guidance for animal protection and care in an oiled wildlife response to help managers and responders understand the overarching principles of wildlife response, including:

• The health and safety of responders
• Animal handling, including the principles of triage and euthanasia
• Construction and layout of facilities
• Wildlife response team organization
• Understanding the technical principles of wildlife response, including:
  • Surveillance/reconnaissance
  • Hazing/deterrence
  • Capture of live oiled animals
  • Collection/evaluation of dead oiled animals
  • Field stabilisation/first aid, care and support
  • Pre–release care, release and post-release monitoring

Key principles for the protection, care and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife  can be used by industry, governments and NGOs as a further extension of the other wildlife good practice document in the IPIECA/IOPG report series: Good Practice Guide for Oiled Wildlife Response Preparedness which was published in 2014 (that document can be downloaded here).