USING ELASTOL FOR CLEANING OIL INFESTED BIRDS

On Monday, 20 February, 6000 l of fuel oil were spilled into the Akers elva River, running through the capital of Oslo, Norway. The oil came from an old tank in a public building nearby which leaked when refille d under pressure. The oil was spilled into the river close to a popula tion of several hundred ducks, and bowed to the sea, passing several o ther populations until reaching the Fjord of Oslo. As a result, a mult itude of birds were infested with oil, both on their feathers as well as internally. Byfuglens Interessegruppe (BIG), an organization devote d to the well being of city birds, was notified about the spill and me mbers of the rescue team arrived shortly after. The authorities were a lso present and in spite of protests from BIG decided to shoot the mos t infested birds on the spot. After shooting 78 birds, BIG representat ives managed to get prominent persons within the veterinary and ornith ology circles to stop the shooting so that the remaining birds could b e rescued.