Oiled birds released back to the wild

THEODORE, Ala. (WALA) - After being covered in oil, around 40 brown pelicans have earned their ticket to freedom once again. The birds were flown to their new home.

"We were able to release four brown pelicans and a tern," said Dr. Heidi Stout of the Theodore Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. "They were crated up this morning, and flown to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to be released out into the wildlife again."

Stout, the executive director of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, said the Theodore rehab center has treated around 30 birds in six weeks, and released seven.

"An average length of stay at a rehab facility for oiled birds, might be somewhere around the lines of 10 to 14 days," said Stout.

Stout said rehabilitating the birds doesn't just entail washing off oil.

"The first thing that needs to be done for that animal is to stabilize it, provide it fluids, to rehydrate it," Stout said. "We're also taking a small blood sample to assess the animal's status."

Stout said between the rehab centers in Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida, about 700 birds have been treated. Matt Kales of U.S. Fish and Wildlife said those numbers depend on the public's help.

"The public are our first line of defense, our first set of eyes and ears out there on the water and at the beaches - and we really need this help," Kales added.

To report oiled wildlife, call 866-557-1401. Officials estimate more than 350 turtles and nearly 800 birds have died in the Gulf.