MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A seagull found at the Mossel Bay harbour, completely covered in varnish, with its wings stuck to its body, was released last week after five weeks of recovery and rehabilitation.
The gull was cared for at the Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre (SAPREC) at Mossdustria, outside Mossel Bay.
Carol Walton, the founder of SAPREC, said she had received a call from a member of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) five weeks ago, stating that there was a gull, covered in what looked like oil, near the NSRI station at the harbour.
Walton said that when she arrived at the station, an NSRI member showed her where the gull was.
"The substance he was covered in was varnish, not oil. He was standing in a corner, trying to preen the substance off himself. It had hardened and stuck his wings down to his body, so he was not able to fly away. That was how we were able to catch him," said Walton.
Once the gull was caught safely, she transported him to SAPREC.
She said as soon as they reached the centre, she got to work, loosening each feather.
Walton said she ended up using coconut oil to soften the varnish and then she could start washing it off. It took her a few hours to get the bulk of the varnish off but by then, the gull was exhausted so she fed him some activated charcoal to combat the toxic varnish he had swallowed while trying to clean himself and gave him a few days to regain his strength before completely removing all the varnish.
Once the varnish was removed, he had to stay at the centre for about five weeks. This is because the natural oils on a gull's feathers that waterproof them and keep them buoyant on water were stripped in the process of washing all the varnish off.
Walton said he was released at Santos Beach last week.
She thanked the NSRI member for reporting the distressed gull and for assisting in the rescue.
Walton urged people to call SAPREC (082 364 3382) as soon as they see a seabird in distress. It was important to report incidents immediately because time was of the essence when it came to saving seabirds.
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