Picture Australasian (Morus serrator) of www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/australasian-gannet

Introducon Ecology and life history The is one of only three gannet in Normal adult weight range: 2.16-2.40 kg the world. Dense breeding colonies can be found on the cliffs Moult: moult their feathers gradually and beaches of headlands on the NZ mainland and on coastal over 10-14 months. islands, as well as along the south-east coast of Australia. Breeding: August to May Majority (>85%) of the breeding populaon is found in New Egg laying between August to January Zealand. Fledglings from NZ will oen migrate to Australia and Monogamous then return to their NZ home colony aer 4-7 years to breed. Incubaon 43-53 days. Gannets are mostly coastal and forage on the connental Age at Fledging 91-119 days shelf. They are plunge divers and can hit the water at speeds up Age at first breeding 4-7 years. to 145km/h, therefore they do not have external nostrils. Lifespan: greater than 25 years. Instead they breath through gaps in the corner of their bills. Diet: Piscivorous

CAPTURE AND HANDLING WARNING – Gannets have very sharp and serrated bill edges and a strong neck that can cause severe injuries to humans. It is ESSENTIAL to wear eye-protecon and addional hand protecon in the form of rubber welding gloves. Two people are required for procedures on gannets: one to restrain and one to perform the procedure (e.g. feeding)

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, protecon for clothing e.g. Tyvec suit). Capture Handling Consider the safety of both humans and birds. Use a towel to restrain wings (prevents Oiled birds may sll have the ability to fly damage to feathers and wing bones) and depending on the amount and locaon of oil restrain strong feet. Wear normal examinaon on the body. Long-handled fishing nets are gloves if not oiled. useful for capture. If the bird is on land and Gannets do not have nostrils and breath unable to fly then towels are useful for through their mouth so it is extremely capture by throwing it over the bird then important not to hold their mouth closed. gathering it up ensuring the wings are Instead, their head can be restrained with restrained in the towel and the head is fingers under the lower jaw and thumb covered. If the bird is on land then ensure gripping on top of the head (not the upper bill) that someone is standing between the bird or by holding the back of the head in the palm and the water to prevent them from entering and gripping the corners of the jaw with the it. Most birds will defecate aer being caught. fingers on one side and thumb on the other.

Transport to WARNING – NEVER place your eyes close to holes in transport boxes. facility Herons, gannets & shags will lunge at eyes causing serious injury or blindness.

Transport box: Box made of plasc (NOT wood) as oil contaminaon can be cleaned and the box reused. Top-loading corflute transport boxes allow for easier access to the bird, however front-loading PetPaks can also be used. Only ONE bird per box. Flooring: Correct flooring in the transport box is important. It should (i) be so and non-abrasive in 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 inconnence pads or a suspended neng floor are the best opons. 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). Australasian gannet HUSBANDRY REQUIREMENTS Housing Keep indoors and temperature controlled at 25-27°C because oiled cannot thermoregulate. pre-cleaning The area must be well venlated to disperse the oil fumes. (oiled) Enclosure: • Temperature controlled rooms. • 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 plasc or metal, not wood. Examples of suitable walls include temporary metal fencing with the 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. • Gannets are gregarious species and therefore mulple birds can be housed together. Do not overcrowd. Enclosures should be large enough to allow birds to stretch their wings. Minimum recommended dimensions are 3m2 of floor space per bird. Height of enclosure 2.5m. • Reduce visibility of humans and noise to minimise stress. Flooring • Correct flooring is very important to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup which can cause feather damage and bumblefoot. The best opon is fine (0.5cm) non-knoed coon 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). • Avoid oil coming into contact with a concrete floor as it is very difficult to clean. Line floor with heavy duty plasc 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 (no oil) their wings. Minimum recommended dimensions are 3m2 of floor space per bird. Height of enclosure 2.5m. 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. Gregarious species Gannets roost on land in groups and should be housed together in an aviary, but ensure that it is 2 not overcrowded and watch for bullying. Allow for floor space of 3m per bird. Perches Gannets require perches. Perches made of PVC tubing covered in blue tube mang are easy to make and clean. Diameter of piping should be appropriate for the size of their feet. Clean perches daily. Pool • in the rehabilitaon phase need access to water in their enclosure to aid waterproofing. • Suitable in-aviary pool types: built-in, large plasc containers or children’s swimming pool or shell. • Non-slip ramps to allow easy access and exit of water. • Water must be deep enough to allow birds to swim on surface without feet touching the boom. • 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” secon). • Heat water during winter months if ambient air temperature is below ~10-15°C. • Connuous 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. • Surface skimmer is useful for removing oil, food and faeces floang on the surface. Transport As per handling instrucons. Wear safety glasses. within If bird is oiled then appropriate PPE must be worn to prevent oil exposure. Use large towels for facility restraint and dispose if contaminated with oil. Idenficaon Leg band (temporary idenficaon to be removed before release). Visually check leg band each day as leg bands oen get stuck at the top of the leg under the . Australasian gannet NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS and FLUIDS At admission Triage assessment: physical examinaon by trained personnel (preferably a veterinarian) Record cloacal temperature. Give fluids at inial stabilisaon rates below. Dosing If large numbers of birds require dosing then calculate dose based on the weight of the heaviest bird. Group animals into age and/or size class for dosing calculaons. Fluid rate Inial stabilisaon: 75-80ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Once hydrated: 50-60ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Fluid type For long term maintenance use either isotonic saline (0.9%) or Vytrate®/Lectade® Amount Feed 10% of body weight (BW) TWICE a day. (i.e. 20% of body weight total each day) Food type If weak, emaciated, severely dehydrated or unable to hold head up: Give oral electrolyte fluids at inial stabilisaon rate listed above for 24 hours to rehydrate gut. Use either: Equal parts (50:50) Hartmann’s soluon 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. Food slurry: Place human grade salmon in heavy duty blender and blend. Add just enough isotonic preparaon (0.9% NaCl) fluid into blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve slurry using a metal sieve to remove any chunks that may clog the feeding tube. Discard aer 24 hours in the refrigerator. Do not let it sit at room temperature on bench. Whole fish: Ideally defrost covered in refrigerator to retain nutrional quality. However, if large amounts of food are required then fish can be defrosted under cold running water immediately before feeding so long as vitamin supplements are given. Supplements ① Mazuri vitamins: 1 tablet per 225g fish. (Available at Carlyle Vet Clinic, Napier 06 835 1096). ② Itraconazole (Sporonox): 5mg/kg BW PO once daily via so crop tube to prevent Aspergillosis. ③ Salt (sodium chloride) to recondion salt gland: Only required if birds have been housed long- term in freshwater. Start at least 2 week before release. Give orally either as 3% saline soluon at maintenance fluid rates or 100mg/kg BW PO once daily. Gradually increase dose over four days: Day 1 give ¼ dose, Day 2 give ½ dose, Day give ¾ dose, Day 4 give full dose, then connue at full dose.

Delivery & Heat fluids and slurry to 38-40°C. device Large volumes of fluid and fish slurry are easier to deliver with a large, plasc, lamb stomach tube 16” in length and a 60ml catheter-p syringe. Force feed (FF) whole salmon head first. Unlike other birds, it is unsafe for the handler to let go of the head to allow the gannet to swallow. Keep a firm hold of the head at all mes. To assist with swallowing, the person feeding can gently massage the fish down the oesophagus. Avoid geng fish juices on the skin and feathers at the corner of the mouth as this disrupts waterproofing and can cause dermas. If fish juice/oil gets onto skin or feathers DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WIPE OFF. Rinse area with a large syringe of water and allow bird to preen. HEALTH SCREENING Venepuncture sites: The medial metatarsal vein is the easiest to access. Brachial vein can also be used.

Anaemia Kidney funcon Birds exposed to oil can quickly become anaemic Uric acid (UA) levels in birds are a measure of kidney (decreased red blood cells) due to the toxic affects of oil funcon. Elevated UA levels >600 IU/dl indicate that the and starvaon. As a minimum, packed cell volume (PCV) kidneys are failing or the is severely dehydrated, and serum total protein (TP) should be measured at both of which commonly occur in oiled birds. (1) intake (2) pre-wash (3) post-wash (4) pre-release. Treatment: IV or PO isotonic fluids at twice maintenance Severely anaemic (PCV<15-20%) birds require blood rates (100ml/kg/24 hours) transfusion. Birds should not be released unl their UA levels return Birds should NOT be: to within the normal range (<600 IU/dl). If UA levels • washed unl PCV ≥30% and TP ≥25g/L remain elevated despite treatment then the bird likely • released unl their PCV & TP levels return to within the has irreversible kidney failure and should be euthanised normal range for gannets = PCV 29-44%, TP 20-50g/L on humane grounds. Australasian gannet

Common Medicaons Washing An-fungals: Preventave treatment of Aspergillosis Birds must be stable and strong enough to withstand (a severe respiratory fungal infecon) is highly the stress of washing. This may mean that a bird will recommended as these birds are extremely suscepble remain oiled for several days unl it has been stabilised. to this life-threatening disease when in capvity. Itraconazole available only by veterinary prescripon. Requirements for washing are very specific, such as See dose rate on page 1. water temperature, water soness and brand of detergent. Refer to the “Washing” factsheet for detailed Anbiocs: are only required if the animal has an open informaon. or infected wound or known bacterial infecon and should only be given if prescribed by a veterinarian aer examinaon of the animal. Waterproofing To regain waterproofing, birds must be given access to a Dose rates: Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 125mg/kg PO BID pool with haulouts so that they can preen and dry off Enrofloxacin 5-10mg/kg PO BID between swims. Degree of waterproofing should be Pain relief: is only required if the animal has a painful assessed using the Waterproofing Assessment sheets condion (e.g. open wound) and should only be given if (hyperlink). prescribed by a veterinarian aer examinaon of the animal. Dose rates: Meloxicam (for mild to moderate so ssue pain) Release criteria 0.5-1 mg/kg BID Birds should only be released if they fulfill ALL the Butorphanol (for moderate to severe bone pain) following criteria: 5mg/kg IM ideally every 2-3hours but can be given 1. Fully waterproof aer 6 hours swim test (refer to twice a day “Waterproofing” guidelines).

Acvated charcoal: not recommended 2. Weight within normal range (on page 1) AND Body Condion Score at least 3/5 using pectoral Problems associated with capvity muscle scoring system: ALL secondary complicaons require veterinary aenon. Isolate any sick birds from the group.

1. Aspergillosis A serious, life-threatening respiratory fungal infecon. Clinical signs include noisy or difficulty breathing. Treatment involves daily nebulisaon with a specific anfungal agent only available through a veterinarian.

2. Pressure sores: keel lesions, hock lesions or pododermas (bumblefoot) 3. PCV is 35-55% and TP is 30-55 g/L Best prevented with good husbandry and appropriate 4. UA <600 IU/dl floor coverings. Depending on severity the bird may 5. Secondary complicaons resolved and checked by require surgery. Treatment involves specific wound care veterinarian and bandaging. Other things to consider: • 3. Traumac injuries Is their release habitat free from oil? • Gannets can be released on land near the shoreline Traumac injuries such as bone fractures can occur in capvity due to excessive force used during handling or or at their colony site. issues in the enclosure (eg. gaps where legs or flippers Authors: S. Finlayson, B. White, L. Chilvers, G. Frankfurt, G. Finlayson. can get stuck). Thanks to the veterinary technicians and veterinary residents in the Wildbase Hospital and to others for their input, feedback and photos. Disclaimer: This fact sheet is managed by Wildbase Oil Response (WOR) for 4. Feather damage informaon purposes only. Informaon contained in it is drawn from a variety of sources external to WOR. Although reasonable care was taken in its Usually occurs from inappropriate handling or enclosure. preparaon, WOR does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, reliability, Birds cannot be released if feather damage effects completeness, or currency of the informaon or its usefulness in achieving waterproofing. If it is the wrong me of year for a any purpose. To the fullest extent permied by law, WOR will not be liable for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred in or arising by reason of any natural moult, please seek advice from Wildbase on how person relying on informaon in this fact sheet. Persons should accordingly to induce moult. make and rely on their own assessments and enquiries to verify the accuracy of the informaon provided. Pictures: Unless otherwise credited, all pictures are copyright of Wildbase.