Thirteen birds died and more than twenty others were injured following a home heating oil spill caused by vandalism at a tank in Broughshane, Northern Ireland, earlier this week. The incident left swans completely oiled and forced the closure of a waterfowl park in County Antrim as emergency responders scrambled to treat surviving animals.
A waterfowl park in County Antrim remains closed after an act of vandalism targeting a nearby home heating oil tank sent kerosene pouring into its pond. The spill killed 13 birds, according to reporting from EnviroLink Network and the BBC. The trust managing the sanctuary is now dealing with what leadership called a nightmare
.
Gary Hayward, chairman of the Broughshane Environment Wildfowl and Wildlife Trust, said a volunteer arriving to feed the birds on a Thursday morning smelled kerosene and discovered the park’s black swans completely coated in oil. Some of the 13 birds lost were animals the team was especially close to, Hayward said.
Treating Injured Birds at the USPCA
More than 20 surviving birds were rushed to the USPCA’s headquarters for emergency care. The death toll has continued to climb.
Wildlife supervisor Siobhan Hawthorn explained that her team has been bathing and treating affected geese, ducks, and swans while administering doses of charcoal to combat ingested toxins.
Some birds didn’t reach the centre quickly enough and had ingested too much oil. Because birds are good at hiding illness, staff won’t know the full extent of harm for some time.
Siobhan Hawthorn, wildlife supervisor at the USPCA
Hawthorn noted that most of the birds are non-native species and cannot return to the park until the pond is completely clean. The facility normally supports 120 collection birds
alongside wild birds.
Agencies Contain the Spill
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency was alerted to the spill on Thursday, October 22. Environmental officers confirmed the impact on the ponds and identified the substance as home heating oil or kerosene traced to a nearby tank.
Environmental officers deployed oil absorbent booms and other countermeasures. The agency stated that the waterway has improved, though further work will continue as needed while the park remains shut to visitors.