Background information provided for students
Throughout the activity, students will be directed to the supporting information given below, which provides some background, challenging ideas and options for further research. They are given fact round ups at the start of each section, and invited to scroll down for more information, ideas for research and discussion points.
Introduction
"We all want to do our best for animals in trouble, but some say we could be wasting a lot of time and money on so-called animal welfare. We get a lot of oil spills along the coast here. Each time, we spend a fortune rescuing oiled seabirds, only to find many of them die anyway after they're released. Some say it would make sense not to try to save these birds in the first place..."
What’s the problem?
For as long as we use fossil fuel in this country, we will always suffer from oil pollution. Marine ecosystems and marine life - including seabirds - can be seriously affected by accidental oil spills and routine oil discharges from ships and offshore installations. Most oil pollution is accidental but some is deliberate, such as ships illegally washing out their tanks at sea. Thousands of seabirds can be affected by a major spill. Significant spills in inland waters are also a concern.
Seabirds are particularly sensitive to oil pollution. They depend on and are fully adapted to the sea, with insulated, waterproof plumage and subcutaneous fat layers to keep them warm and buoyant. Oil sticks to their feathers, destroying their fine structure and impairing their insulating properties. This can result in them drowning or dying from hypothermia in cold sea water. An added problem is that birds will naturally try to preen the oil out of their feathers, which can spread it around, and lead to them ingesting toxic material. Unable to eat, this opens them up to the risk of starvation too.
With oil pollution a continuing risk, it is rare for RSPCA wildlife centres not to have birds that need washing and rehabilitating at any given time.
What happens to birds after an oil spill in the UK?
To help tackle the problem the RSPCA has invested in resources to care for oiled seabirds at its wildlife centres. It believes that prompt action is essential, and has mounted several emergency rescue missions in recent years. Birds are taken into care quickly, before they lose too much weight. They are cleaned, then spend time in deep-water pools, so staff can assess their buoyancy and ability to dive before they are released.
But even with intensive rescue attempts, it’s believed we only ever find about 10 per cent of the birds affected by oil spills. The rest probably drown and sink before ever reaching the shore.
Find out more
Learn about some of the RSPCA’s recent oiled bird rescues by following this link.
You can also find out more about what happens to birds, and which birds are affected, by following this link.
And see one RSPCA wildlife centre’s response to the MSC Napoli oil spill in 2007 here.
Now it's time to say what you think - remember you're voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by this first character: "We should stop spending money to save oiled seabirds, since they just die anyway."
Round 1
"Well, I understand there's a big cost, but you couldn't very well leave a lot of dead birds on beaches, could you? It would be disgusting for a start, and it wouldn't do much for tourism. Probably be a health hazard too. Anyway, seabirds are part of our natural environment, so we should try to save them - I don't know what might happen if they weren't there."
"I know people do ask the question, well, do they survive? And it's true that some don't, and that the costs can be very high. But in many cases we're successful, and rehabilitate and release birds back into the wild. Each time, we learn more about the birds' needs, so we can improve the chances of survival of future casualties."
Why should we care?
The sea around the UK’s coasts provides a unique resource, enjoyed by millions of people. It supports thousands of jobs and industries. But it’s also home to an exceptionally diverse marine environment. Our coasts support internationally important breeding populations of several seabird species, including 68 per cent of the world’s northern gannets, 90 per cent of its Manx shearwaters and 60 per cent of its great skuas. Every year nearly 8 million seabirds from 26 species come our shores to breed. Marine pollution is a constant threat to them.
How does the RSPCA rehabilitate oiled birds?
Once caught, oiled birds are put into towel-lined boxes and given a rehydration formula of warm water, bismuth (to help line their gut), charcoal (to draw the oil away from the stomach and help it pass through the body) and kaolin (to help repair the intestines). They are examined by vets, and around two per cent will be humanely euthanased, because they have no chance of survival. The remaining birds are offered sprats to eat, and after 48 hours, trained members of RSPCA staff wash them with hot water and washing-up liquid. During the next fortnight they are constantly checked and fed - but around half will die in this time. They then have another, detailed wash from beak tip to tail tip, stay in a warm room overnight, and then slowly acclimatise to an outside pool. During weeks three and four, they are put in an exercise pool, to build up their fitness and learn how to dive again. After a month or so, around 35 per cent to 40 per cent of birds will have survived and be ready to be released into the wild. They are ringed and monitored to check for survival rates.
Something to think about
If we left oiled birds on beaches, what would be the effect on:
- the marine environment
- public health
- bird populations
- tourism
- industry?
Despite the odds against them, we continue to rescue and rehabilitate oiled birds. Why do you think we, as a society, continue to do this?
Did you know?
It can cost one RSPCA animal centre more than £20,000 to clean and rehabilitate oiled seabirds after a disaster such as the oil spill from the MSC Napoli in 2007. Feeding them is a big cost - the bill for fish alone topped £6,000 between January and May at RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre, which took in some of the Napoli birds. There were also costs for cleaning materials, pens, carriers and pools, and food to keep volunteers going - in total the cost was nearly £22,000.
Now it’s time to say what you think - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “We should stop spending money to save oiled seabirds, since they just die anyway.”
Round 2
"I find this issue so difficult. All wildlife is important, but if birds get released and then quickly die, or even end up getting oiled again, I wonder if it's kinder to euthanase them on the spot? I must admit...I feel bad saying this, but a lot of people - me included - prefer animals like red squirrels to birds...so there's a tendency to think the money could be better spent on them..."
"I think some of this comes down to people treating animals differently, depending on what species they are. I think we should decide things like this on a case-by-case basis, whatever our personal feelings might be about the type of animal itself."
What is speciesism?
Speciesism is a term coined in 1970. It’s based on the idea that some people believe humans are inherently superior to other animals, and therefore have rights or privileges that they don’t have. Sometimes speciesism can be about the behaviour people inflict on animals as a result of the belief that they are superior. And sometimes it can mean people give some animal species a higher status than others, and therefore treat them differently.
What do you think?
Should we make decisions about which animals to help, based on what we feel about the animal? Are some animals worth more than others? Follow this link to see more about the ethics of speciesism.
Find out more
What is the RSPCA’s policy on the welfare of wildlife? Follow this link to find out.
Now it’s time to say what you think - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “We should stop spending money to save oiled seabirds, since they just die anyway.”
Round 3
"I write a blog about the environment, and I get a lot of emails from people who say if we just keep cleaning up after these spills, nothing will happen to stop them. It's the responsibility of the shipping companies, but they're only going to do something about it if we leave the birds on the beaches. If we did that, people would sit up and take notice."
"Shipping companies do recognise their environmental responsibilities. We do all we can to prevent oil spills, and when they do occur, we pay substantial fines, which we assume are used to help with clean-up costs and rehabilitation of affected wildlife."
Why do oil spills happen?
Since 1960, 410 oil tankers have sunk, contaminating the world’s seas with 377,765 tonnes of oil. Maritime traffic, including oil transport, is common in Europe’s coastal waters, putting around 30 maritime states at risk of oil spill pollution. The tanker industry recorded an increase in pollution incidents in 2007, citing these examples:
- the Hebei Spirit, which spilled 11,000 tonnes of crude oil when it was hit by a crane ship
- the Navion Britannia, which spilled 4,000 cubic metres of crude oil when its loading hose broke
- the Volgoneft 139 tanker, which broke in two and spilled its cargo
- two Singapore-registered bunker barges, which collided and spilled 200 tonnes of oil.
What can be done?
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has adopted a scheme to phase out single hull tankers and replace them with double hull vessels, which should significantly lower the risk of oil spilling into the sea.
Find out more
Check out what the EU is doing about oil pollution in our seas here.
And find out what the industry is doing to minimise oil spills here.
Can you find any evidence that fines are used to help with the costs of rehabilitating wildlife?
What do you think?
Is it better to spend money on:
- rescuing and rehabilitating oiled birds
- improving our record on oil spills
- lobbying and campaigning to stop the practices that cause oil spills
- humanely euthanasing and disposing of all oiled birds
- understanding more about how we can save and rehabilitate wildlife
- protecting wildlife
- some or all of the above?
Now it’s time to reach a verdict - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “We should stop spending money to save oiled seabirds, since they just die anyway."