Katherine, Dr. Lisa & Kerry with Katrina (still groggy)

After a 2½ hour operation and two days to recover from the surgery Katrina is now on the mend! Katrina’s surgery went extremely well despite a few hiccups that are to be expected with any deep diving animal under anesthetic. AMWRRO vet Dr. Lisa performed yet another fantastic surgery and managed to debride all necrotic and infected tissues away from the abdominal muscles and remove the entire effected area before closing Katrina up with several internal and external stiches. The wound is much larger than first thought and many feathers surrounding the wound needed removing altogether; these will grow back over the next 4-6 weeks and in that time AMWRRO expects to have her release application submitted to the department for approval (pending all goes well).  If Katrina’s feathers do not cover the entire area and she is deemed “not waterproof” then AMWRRO will need to reconsider her release. Flippers crossed Katrina can again prove her ability to defy the odds and bounce back once again!

AMWRRO is permitted to rescue, rehabilitate and release all seabirds in South Australia (this includes migratory animals) hence the initial arrangements made to have her moved immediately and provided to a zoo (all of which was done behind AMWRRO’s back) was not that persons call to make in the first place!

AMWRRO has since contacted the zoo in question and explained that AMWRRO did not appreciate the way in which this matter was handled and explained that next time we have in care an animal of interest; to please contact AMWRRO first to discuss the case before making such demands!

AMWRRO has lodged the necessary paperwork with the DENR Fauna Permit Unit and of which has since been approved thanks to the DENR Animal Welfare Director and DENR Fauna Permit Unit.

To add to this great news – Katrina is doing very well and today had her first supervised swim which she enjoyed immensely before being housed in the clinic for an afternoon of preening and sleeping. To watch her first swim click here

AMWRRO has maintained contact with New Zealand authorities and is hoping to hear back from them by Friday!

Thank you all for your support and keep those flippers crossed we can return this animal to her natural habitat!

AMWRRO received a call from DENR demanding her immediate release and transport interstate so she can be kept as a permanent exhibit animal.

AMWRRO is currently working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) in New Zealand to determine if Katrina is eligible to be imported into

AMWRRO is dedicated to providing marine wildlife (that are eligible for re-release) with a second chance at a free life – this of course takes into consideration the animals physical condition, injuries, diseases, habitat and ability to survive in the wild. If any animal is ineligible for release due to the above; then and only then will AMWRRO consider that animal an ambassador for their species and will then actively search for an appropriate home elsewhere.

AMWRRO has contacted Minister Caica’s office (Minister for the Department for Environment and Natural Resources) several times today to explain her current situation and to further explain that travelling Katrina now would cause sever stress and could ultimately kill her as a consequence. AMWRRO is yet to receive any return correspondence from Minister Caica’s office with regards to this matter.

On a much brighter note, Katrina has for the first time today eaten fish on her own and has gained 120gms since arriving in Adelaide – she still has several issues to overcome and a possible surgery in the near future concerning her open wound but is looking better and better as each day passes.

Flippers crossed she maintains a speedy recovery and the New Zealand authorities are happy for her to return!

Watch this space ladies and gentlemen!

Katrina the Fiordland Penguin

She was found late yesterday afternoon by a DENR officer on the beach; hypothermic, extremely emaciated and exhausted.

This young bird was taken to Katrina C/o Friends of Native Wildlife – South East (hence she has been named after her) and who contacted AMWRRO immediately with the exciting news of anunusual looking penguin in her care.

Within the hour AMWRRO had arranged to have this bird flown to Adelaide via the Mt. Gambier airport and with special thanks to Katrina who acted with extreme care and efficiency in getting this bird to the airport in time; the bird was delivered to Australian Air Express personnel with strict instructions by Katrina who explained the importance of this animal and to handle her with extreme care.

AMWRRO received the bird late last night and is currently stabilizing her at the AMWRRO clinic – Torrens Island. Katrina has an open wound to her lower abdominal cavity and is extremely underweight but is otherwise in reasonable condition. Flippers crossed we can save this extremely rare and beautiful animal!

This oil has and will continue to affect more birds and the surrounding environment if not cleaned properly. AMWRRO will contact the Environmental Minister if this issue is not resolved as soon as possible and will be more than happy to inform the Ministers office of just how incompetent the EPA’s ecologists has proven to be in this situation.

AMWRRO personnel have spent hundreds of hours searching for oiled birds in the affected wetland areas and finding many that are affected but still able to fly hence the rescue efforts will continue for many weeks to come.

Unfortunately this will be delayed even further due to the EPS’s very relaxed attitude about this situation and having stated several times that the oil left behind will “take care of itself” is nothing short of a slap in the face for those who have contributed their time and effort to help these voiceless animals – some of which are endangered.

So far the AMWRRO crew have had a great success rate with 90% on birds rescued from the wetland doing very well and were today taken out of the clinic and placed into a large cage with open pool and lots to eat. These birds will be released into the AMWRRO wetland for long term rehabilitation due to the oil being left on the banks and reeds and will hopefully “take care of itself” sooner rather than later.

Special thanks to all the AMWRRO crew for doing such an amazing job and responding in great numbers to this very unfortunate situation, flipper crossed these birds will be release in the near future.

Despite AMWRRO remaining on site for over 10 hours and well into the night; these birds were never seen by AMWRRO personnel.

The following morning Wednesday 14^th March 2012 AMWRRO returned to check the water level in the pond only to find it hadn’t dropped, again the birds were not seen despite getting within metres of the reeds. That afternoon AMWRRO attended again with no birds in sight.

Late Wednesday afternoon/evening Adelaide received over 25mls of rain as several large storm cells moved across the state. AMWRRO feared the water level in this pond would breach containment lines put in place and attended to check for birds and to make sure the 4 booms put in place to stop the oil from hitting the wetlands did not come adrift.

Unfortunately on arrival at 20:00 our fears became a reality with two booms completely adrift and the other two held under the water level or snagged on sandbags; allowing hundreds of thousands of liters of water and oil to flow directly into the Barker Inlet Wetland region.

AMWRRO immediately notified state government agencies responsible for the booms; the Marine Safety – Oil Response Unit of which did nothing due to the time of day and weather conditions. The Marine Safety Unit did not notify the EPA.  AMWRRO contacted the EPA directly and informed them of this serious situation and requested they attend to reset booms in order to stop the remaining oil from hitting the sensitive wetlands. The EPA did attend but without the support of the Marine Safety Unit were unable to reset the booms in time. The remaining oil flowed directly into the Barker Inlet Wetlands.

AMWRRO’s emergency response personnel were contacted Wednesday night at 20:30 and all hands were on deck the following morning to start the rescue operation.

Thursday morning 15 AMWRRO personnel assembled at Torrens Island for briefing and were on site by 07:30 with boats launched and the AMWRRO clinic prepped for oiled birds and wildlife. Additional AMWRRO crews were placed on standby in case the situation turned from bad to worse.

Vessel operations worked in conjunction with land based crew and together AMWRRO combed the entire wetland area for oiled birds. Over 25 birds were seen to be affected by oil – yet could still fly or dive when approached. These birds will be closely monitored over the next few days/weeks as they will eventually drop once their stomachs are filled with this toxic oil as a consequence of preening oil affected feathers.

AMWRRO personnel finished on site operations and returned to Torrens Island to start scrubbing those birds that were rescued.

Friday morning, AMWRRO personnel again attended the Barker Inlet Wetlands to recover what birds were found on high ground and in the water – now suffering from hypothermia and toxic ingestion. These birds were immediately taken into care and treated. Unfortunately for some; the toxic mix of oil, solvents and other waste products proved too much for their internal organs and went downhill overnight considerably – one pacific black duck was euthanased due to its condition spiralling downhill overnight. A post-mortem examination will be performed at a later date to confirm along with toxicology tests.

Saturday and Sunday AMWRRO crews combed the wetlands for oiled birds again taking all that were found into care for immediate treatment and scrubbing. Most of these birds have recovered well from treatment but some have also died due to the stress of the whole ordeal in conjunction with a supressed immune system and toxic ingestion.

This week AMWRRO personnel will continue to rescue birds from this area, unfortunately due to these birds still being able to fly; many birds have now moved into other areas that are not contaminated – making it very difficult to find let alone rescue and treat before it’s too late.

Unfortunately the preliminary diagnosis was confirmed – this healthy young bottlenose dolphin had been  killed by multiple propeller strikes to the dorsal and flank regions. The propeller injuries to her body had shattered her spine so that she would have been paralysed; the fifth chop wound had completely severed her tail (see image).

This young female dolphin was only a few weeks old, a tragic end to an otherwise perfectly healthy animal that could have potentially birthed 10 to 15 calves throughout a normal life span.

AMWRRO Black & White Ball 2012

Come and join us for a night of fun, celebrations, dancing, great food and fundraising for our very unique Marine Wildlife!

This event will again raise the much needed funds that keeps’ AMWRRO afloat and gives thousands of marine animals a second chance of life.

Bring a friend or three or even better; bring a table of ten and enjoy a fantastic night of entertainment and help support the people who dedicate thousands of hours each year to rescuing and rehabilitating these amazing animals.

Raffles, silent auctions, live music and a stunning Pure Envy piece of jewelry will be won by a lucky person – don’t miss your chance to be a part of this important and worthwhile night and help save a life.

For more information about the AMWRRO Black & White Ball click here.

For the Black and White Ball booking form click here.

Date: Saturday 23^rd June 2012

Location: Intercontinental Grand Ball Room – Adelaide

Time: 6:30pm – midnight

Cost: $150.00 – tables of 10 available

To secure your seat(s) please contact AMWRRO between business hours on 8262 5452, we look forward to seeing you there.

Neonate bottlenose dolphin

The AMWRRO Scientific Board is preparing to conduct an official post mortem examination on a third neonate bottlenose dolphin that was found dead on Sunday morning in local waters. Fortunately for us this animal was found just outside the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary – hence AMWRRO is permitted to conduct an accurate post mortem examination. This animal was struck 5 times by a fast moving propeller. The post mortem results once finalized will be made know to the general public via the AMWRRO website.

Prof Roger Byard (Professor of Pathology at The University of Adelaide and Senior Specialist Forensic Pathologist at Forensic Science South Australia); Dr. Luck Woolford (Veterinary Pathologist at the School of Veterinary Science; The University of Adelaide (Roseworthy)) and others from the AMWRRO Scientific Board will conduct the post mortem examination at AMWRRO on Wednesday afternoon.  This is yet another extremely sensitive case that AMWRRO and The University of Adelaide are dealing with. AMWRRO will provide the Department for Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with an accurate post mortem report once all tests results and findings are documented accordingly.