Large Pelagic seabirds: Picture Albatrosses, Mollymawks & Giant Petrels of bird For idenDficaon and species info refer to: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz Introduc4on Ecology and life history New Zealand has the highest diversity of Normal adult weight range: Adult Buller’s mollymawks can weigh as albatrosses and mollymawks with 12 liNle as 2.5kg while the Southern Royal Albatross can weigh up to species that breed on NZ's sub-antarcDc 10kg. Due to the variability of normal weight ranges between species islands and 7 endemic species. It is unlikely and within species it is recommended to calculate doses based on that large numbers of these birds would be individual body weights. effected during a single oil spill event Moult: Gradual, mostly during their non-breeding year but conDnues unless it occurs near a breeding colony. into breeding. Biennial wing moult - outer primaries one year, inner Although albatrosses are in the group primaries the next year. commonly called "tubenoses", they differ Breeding: All albatross species and the grey-headed mollymawk from other tubenose families in that their produce a single young every two years. Incubang and rearing a chick tube-shaped nostrils are separated and takes 1 year and then take one year to recover. located on either side of the bill. All birds The other mollymawk species and the two giant petrel species breed in the order Procellariformes (including once a year, usually from August to May. petrels and shearwaters) have three front- Lifespan: Long-lived facing toes with webbing. Diet: Water surface scavengers Personal protecve equipment (PPE): Appropriate PPE must be worn when capturing and handling oiled wildlife to prevent exposure to oil (disposable nitrile gloves, safety glasses/goggles, protecDon for clothing e.g. Tyvec suit). Old towels or blue inconDnence pads are useful to handle oiled birds as they can be discarded once soiled. Capture Handling Consider the safety of both humans and birds. Wear thick protecDve gloves (eg. Gardwell® Garden Masonary These large birds require a run up and winds of at gloves from Bunnings) to protect hands from sharp edges of bill. least 20km/h in order to take off and therefore These birds are in the group called "tubenoses". They have when an oiled bird is stranded on land they are external nostrils on the top surface of the bill and therefore they relavely easy to approach and capture. Ensure can breathe when their bill is closed. that someone is standing between the bird and Their bill can be restrained by grasping the water to prevent them from entering it. Birds above with fingers and below with the on land can be captured by hand using a large thumb, ensuring that the nostrils are not towel to restrain the bird's wings and cover the covered (pictured). Use a large towel to head or using a long-handled fishing net. If the restrain wings and legs and tuck the bird is sing on water use a large long-handled body under the arm while holding the net. This group of birds will oden regurgitate bill in the other hand. Handling for stomach oil as a defense mechanism. Take care feeding is best done with two people - not to get oil on feathers. one to restrain and one to feed. Transport to WARNING – NEVER place your eyes close to holes in transport boxes. Herons, gannets & cormorants will lunge at eyes causing serious injury or blindness. facility Transport box: made of plasDc (NOT wood) as oil contaminaon can be cleaned and the box reused. Best opDon is an PetPak carrier: Model PP90, XXXXXL, 77(W) x 131(L) x 85(H) cm ONE bird per box Flooring: Correct flooring in the transport box is important. It should (i) be sod and non-abrasive in order to prevent development of bumblefoot during transport, (ii) be non-slip so that the bird can steady itself and (iii) prevent build up of faecal maer that can cause urate burns. Blue-tube rubber mang covered with blue inconDnence pads or a suspended neng floor are the best opDons. Folded newspaper is inappropriate as it becomes too slippery when contaminated by faeces. Shredded paper, straw, hay and seagrass should be avoided as it increases the risk of Aspergillosis Vehicle transport: van or ute, with canopy and a separate air space from people to prevent inhalaon of oil fumes. Ideally temperature controlled (heang on cold days, cooling on hot days). Large pelagic seabirds HUSBANDRY REQUIREMENTS Housing keep indoors and temperature controlled at 25-27°C because oiled animals cannot thermoregulate. pre-cleaning The area must be well venDlated to disperse the oil fumes. (oiled) Enclosure: • keep in temperature controlled rooms. • Enclosures should be large enough to allow birds to stretch their wings. Minimum recommended dimensions are 6 (length) x 3 (width) x 2 (height) meters. • If room is very large then build temporary aviaries with a roof. Ensure walls of temporary enclosure are made of materials that can easily be cleaned of oil such as plasDc or metal, not wood. Examples of suitable walls include temporary metal fencing with walls and roof lined with shade cloth to prevent damage to feathers. Ensure metal fencing is not galvanised with zinc or lead as this could lead to heavy metal poisoning if the birds chew on the fence. • Only ONE bird per room/aviary as they can be very aggressive toward each other. • Reduce visibility of humans and noise to minimise stress. Flooring • Best opDon is fine (0.5cm) non-knoNed coNon neng using PVC pipe as a frame and suspended at least 15cm above floor. • Alternavely blue tube mang can be used (available at hardware stores) • Correct flooring is very important to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup which can cause feather damage and bumblefoot. • Avoid oil coming into contact with a concrete floor as it is very difficult to clean. Line floor with heavy duty plasDc sheets (e.g. pond liner or large garbage bags) then place neng or tube mang on top. Housing Enclosure: post-cleaning • Outdoor aviary with shade cloth covering the roof and walls. Large enough to allow them to stretch their wings. Minimum recommended dimensions are 6 (length) x 3 (width) x 2m (height). (no oil) Flooring • Blue tube mang on floor to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup and bumblefoot. NOTE: grey tube flooring is harder than the blue version which increases risk of bumblefoot. Burrows • Hides are not necessary as they do not normally burrow. Solitary • Albatrossess and mollymawks are generally solitary birds and only come together during the breeding season. Therefore they are best housed separately. Pool • Seabirds in the rehabilitaon phase need access to water in their enclosure to aid waterproofing. • Suitable pool types: built-in, large plasDc containers or plasDc (non-inflatable) child’s pool. • Non-slip ramps to allow easy access and exit of water. • Preferably use seawater, but freshwater can be used. If using freshwater then provide birds with a salt supplement in order to maintain salt glands (see “Supplements” secDon). • No need to heat pool water. • ConDnuous flow of water is required to prevent buildup of fish oil and faeces on the surface of the water which inhibits the waterproofing process. This is most easily achieved by placing a hose above the pool allowing the running water to break the surface of the pool water and leng it overflow. Good drainage around the pool is required. Transport As per handling instrucDons. within facility If bird is oiled then appropriate PPE must be worn to prevent oil exposure. Use large towels for restraint and dispose if contaminated with oil. Cover head to reduce visual sDmuli and stress. IdenDficaon Leg band (temporary idenDficaon to be removed before release) Large pelagic seabirds NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS and FLUIDS At admission Triage assessment: physical examinaon by trained personnel (preferably a veterinarian) Record cloacal temperature. Give fluids at ini-al stabilisa-on rates below. FOOT PROTECTION ON ARRIVAL: Large pelagic seabirds are parDcularly vulnerable to pressure sores on their feet because they normally rest on water rather than land. The weight of their heavy body when dry-docked can cause pressure sores to develop within a few hours. To prevent bumblefoot, bandage both feet on arrival: 1st layer non- adherent gauze dressing on plantar surface, 2nd layer 3-5mm thick foam sheeDng cut to shape of foot on plantar surface, 3rd layer sodban, 4th layer vet wrap. Change bandages every 2-3 days depending on degree of soiling. Fluid rate IniDal stabilisaon: 80-100ml/kg BW/day divided into two doses PO Once hydrated: 60-70ml/kg BW/day divided into two doses PO Fluid type Large pelagic seabirds are highly suscepDble to salt gland atrophy and hyponatremia. For long term maintenance give 3% saline solu4on (30g/L) OR isotonic fluids WITH salt supplements Amount Feed 10% of body weight (BW) TWICE a day. (i.e. 20% of body weight total each day) Food type If weak, emaciated and dehydrated: Give oral electrolyte fluids at ‘iniDal stabilisaon’ rate listed above for 24 hours to rehydrate gut. Use either: Equal parts (50:50) Hartmann’s soluDon and 2.5% dextrose in 0.45% saline 5% dextrose in 0.9% saline or Vytrate®/Lectade® Once gut is hydrated, then start with small amounts of fish slurry. If able to take solids: human grade small whole salmon or large salmon cut into pieces. Food Fish slurry: Place human grade salmon in heavy duty blender and blend. Add just enough isotonic preparaon (0.9% NaCl) fluid to blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve slurry using a metal sieve to remove any chunks that may clog the feeding tube.