Procedure of cleaning an oil-slicked penguin

An oil-slicked Little Blue Penguin

 

First the penguins must be warm and happy - most are kept overnight before washing, as it is very stressful and they need to get their strength up.

Then the birds are brought into the cleaning room and put on the table.

Normally detergent is used to clean wildlife caught in an oil slick. First rinse the birds with canola oil, sold as cooking oil at the supermarket. This helps soften the fuel oil and get off the really thick stuff.

Then the penguin is washed multiple times in 25L basins of warm water - about 41C, to match the bird's body temperature - with 100ml of dishwashing detergent in each basin, use dishwashing liquid that's the best for the job.

Change water four or five times. Use toothbrushes for the delicate bits.

Once the oil is gone, the bird gets a final rinse in warm water only, and is then checked for any missed spots, and the detergent is washed off.

It takes about 45 minutes to an hour for each bird to be washed.

The birds are then taken to a clean room and put under heat lamps and blowers to dry.

The clean room should be oil-free in order to prevent re-contamination.

This is the same Little Blue Penguin after its clean-up:

Once clean and dried, the birds are kept in a water tank until healthy enough to be released. And swimming in clean water lets them preen their feathers back to their natural condition.