oiled wildlife spill response
Goals of the OWCNs Research & Technology Development Program
Improve Animal Care
o Identify new, and refine current, wildlife rehabilitation techniques
o Develop and validate new oiled wildlife treatments & diagnostics
o Determine and test methods for mitigating the effects of oil on wildlife
Assess Wildlife Health
o Investigate medical conditions that may affect care during oil spill response
o Compile biomedical health parameters of commonly oiled wildlife species
o Determine the health impacts of oil exposure, including those that persist after release
o Assess the impacts of medical treatments and chemical countermeasures on wildlife
Determine Wildlife Population Information that Aids in Preventing and Caring for Oiled Wildlife
o Determine the demography & distribution of wildlife species in California
o Understand how populations respond to oil spills (to improve rehabilitation protocols)
Develop New Technology for Oiled Wildlife Care
o Generate methods to detect & quantify oil exposure in wildlife, and to document their effects
o Assess applicability of radiotelemetry techniques to monitor survival of affected wildlife after oil spills
o Develop hardware to improve oiled wildlife rehabilitation & husbandry
