Seagulls released after rescue cleanup
Six seagulls were released back into the wild on Monday after making a full recovery following their oily rescue in east Vancouver last month.
The birds were found near Frances Street in east Vancouver, covered in an oily, greasy substance that made it difficult to fly. The Wildlife Rescue Association took in the birds, cleaned the grease from their wings and cared for them for about a month before preparing for Monday’s release.
The location where the gulls were rescued is the same site as a 2016 rescue — the largest ever in the WRA’ s history — where 62 seagulls were found trapped inside a vat outside of the Superior Tofu processing plant near McLean Drive and Frances Street.
In that case, Superior Tofu made a donation to the non-profit rescue society to assist with the rescue. The 2016 rescue cost about $26,000.
“This spot in east Vancouver has proven to be a problem for wildlife,” said Coleen Doucette. “It’s home to the largest rescue operation in our organization’s history, and this month we found another group of birds covered in a similar substance in the same vicinity.
“This is an issue that needs to be addressed.”
A Superior Tofu manager was not available to comment on Monday afternoon.
Birds are unable to clean oil from their feathers, which then prevents them from being able to regulate their body temperature and results in hypothermia.