Spot-billed pelican affected by oil spill rescued from Ennore

Rescue team saves spot-billed pelican affected by Ennore oil spill, to be rehabilitated at Guindy National Park.

A spot-billed pelican affected by the oil spill in Ennore was rescued on Friday and brought to Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD) for rehabilitation. After initial treatment, the bird will be moved to Guindy National Park.

A team of wildlife experts from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and BMAD and the Forest Department, which set out to assess the birds at Ennore Creek found that a couple of pelicans and around seven painted storks were greatly affected by the oil spill. The birds in the waterway are getting increasingly weaker, they say.

On Friday, the team managed to rescue one. The spot-billed pelican was tired and could not fly, said Nishanth Ravi, a volunteer working at the creek. The creek had low levels of water, making it difficult for the wildlife team to go in using motor boats and feed live fish to the birds. 

“The site still has oil as the MSSRF [M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation] has informed us. We are trying to rehabilitate the [rescued] bird,” said E. Prasanth, Wildlife Warden, Chennai.

It has been estimated that about 400 to 500 birds remain in the creek, as most have already flown away to other places. In some spots, the team tried giving dead fish as feed to the birds. “Egrets and crows came to eat them but waterbirds, such as pelicans and painted storks, usually prefer live food,” Mr. Ravi said.

Over the next few days, the team will visit places such as Pallikaranai and Napier Bridge, where the oil-drenched pelicans were spotted, to check if any need rehabilitation.