Thirteen birds died and a popular visitor attraction closed after a vandalized home heating oil tank leaked kerosene into Broughshane Waterfowl Park in County Antrim on October 22, triggering an intensive emergency rescue operation for dozens of contaminated animals.
Kerosene Contamination Shuts Down Broughshane Waterfowl Park
A morning routine at a County Antrim wildlife park turned into an environmental disaster when a volunteer discovered a heavy petroleum odor drifting across the grounds. Walking through the acreage, the volunteer found black swans completely coated in fuel after oil entered the ponds through the local drainage system following overnight flooding.
The contaminant was identified as home heating oil, or kerosene, which leaked from a deliberately vandalized tank at a nearby residential property. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency received initial notification of the spill on Thursday, October 22, prompting inspectors to rush to the site and deploy oil absorbent booms and other containment measures to mitigate the environmental damage.
Gary Hayward, chairman of the Broughshane Environment Wildfowl and Wildlife Trust, voiced the organization’s anguish over the unfolding crisis. The facility has operated for 13 years, maintaining 120 collection birds alongside visiting wild species before the vandalism forced the closure.
Gary Hayward, chairman of Broughshane Environment Wildfowl and Wildlife Trust, said they were devastated, explaining that a volunteer had appeared on the Thursday morning to feed the birds, walked down through the park, smelled the kerosene, and saw the black swans completely oiled.
USPCA Veterinary Teams Battle to Save Surviving Birds
Veterinary personnel and animal care staff provided round-the-clock washing and medical treatment without charging the trust for their services.
Siobhan Hawthorn, wildlife supervisor at the USPCA, detailed the grueling decontamination process required to save the poisoned wildlife.
It’s been a case of getting them all bathed and treated as soon as we could because of the level of contamination they suffered. We’ve given them all doses of charcoal to help combat some of the toxins that they would have ingested.
Siobhan Hawthorn, wildlife supervisor at the USPCA
Despite these interventions, 13 birds have died, including two Trumpeter swans and more than ten ducks. Hawthorn noted that the centre is unsure just how long they will have to care for the remaining birds, adding that she would like to think they are over the worst of it while noting that nobody knows how much potential toxin the animals ingested. Staff members have also faced severe emotional and mental strain while monitoring the recovering animals through multiple cleaning cycles.
Environmental Toll and Calls for Public Help in Northern Ireland
Police forces have appealed for community tips to identify those responsible for tampering with the fuel container, while Hayward expressed hope that the incident serves as a deterrent against vandalism targeting heating containers and tanks.
Park leadership estimates that remediation will require weeks of continuous effort. Because the surviving animals consist largely of non-native species, they cannot return to the park until environmental regulators certify that the ponds have achieved complete cleanliness.