Oiled Wildlife Care Network

Oiled Wildlife Care Network A collective of wildlife care professionals specifically trained for oiled wildlife readiness & response | Report oiled wildlife: 1-877-UCD-OWCN (823-6926)

Just this past April, we shared how baby season places extraordinary demands on wildlife rehabilitation organizations ac...
06/09/2026

Just this past April, we shared how baby season places extraordinary demands on wildlife rehabilitation organizations across California and how an oil spill occurring during this already busy time of year could stretch resources even further.

Since May 23, many OWCN member organizations have been living that reality.

Despite the massive influx of orphaned and injured young animals, trained responders from member organizations across the Oiled Wildlife Care Network have also stepped up to support wildlife response efforts in Los Angeles while continuing to care for the hundreds of wild patients already depending on them at home.

Whether they could spare a single shift or several days, every contribution has helped give oil-affected wildlife the best chance at survival.

Every member organization referenced in our baby season story from April has been activated for the ongoing response in Los Angeles: owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/blog/spring-surge

Photo credits: 1) Bill Hunnewell © The Marine Mammal Center, 2) Jaret Davey/Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, 3) Kate Johns © Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles

When people think about wildlife affected by oil spills, they often picture seabirds, ducks, and other animals that spen...
06/06/2026

When people think about wildlife affected by oil spills, they often picture seabirds, ducks, and other animals that spend much of their lives on or near the water.

But oil can impact many different species. A Brewer's Blackbird was among the birds recovered from the Los Angeles River area, a songbird not associated with aquatic environments.

Just as they have for the many mallards, Canada geese, and other birds in care, trained OWCN responders are providing this patient with specialized assessment, stabilization, gentle cleaning, and rehabilitative care using tried and true protocols.

06/02/2026

The Wild Neighbors Database Project's Executive Director, Rachel Avilla, is actively working as part of the ongoing oiled wildlife response in the LA area with fellow members of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. Rachel is serving as data coordinator for OWRMD, the database used for logging and tracking patient data, to ensure unified data and to support recovery, care, and rehabilitation efforts. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication of this community.

The ongoing response to save wildlife affected by oil in the LA River spill area would not be possible without the colle...
06/02/2026

The ongoing response to save wildlife affected by oil in the LA River spill area would not be possible without the collective commitment, expertise, and readiness of our network.

Because of year-round training and preparedness efforts, OWCN responders from across California were able to mobilize immediately and step into critical roles throughout the response. From field teams recovering oiled wildlife, to drivers transporting patients to our care facility in San Pedro, to intake teams assessing and stabilizing animals, to wash teams carefully removing crude oil from feathers, to the specialists who will provide rehabilitative care until these animals are healthy enough for release…every step depends on highly trained responders working together toward a common goal.

This response is the result of more than 30 years spent building and strengthening a network of 45+ member organizations united by a shared mission: providing the best achievable capture and care for oil-affected wildlife.

Pictured responders: 1) Natalie Kiehne from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Angel Tauber from Pacific Marine Mammal Center, 2) Dan McNeal and Brad Harzmann from Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, 3) Veronica Johnson from The Marine Mammal Center, 4) Gayle Uyehara from Wildlife Health Center, UC Davis, 5) Ali Lauder from Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, 6) Jenn Martines from International Bird Rescue, 7) OWCN care responders in briefing session

📸: Ariana Gastelum/International Bird Rescue

06/01/2026

We are a proud member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), a statewide network of organizations committed to providing the best capture and care for oil-affected wildlife in California.

Throughout the year, members of our team participate in specialized OWCN trainings and preparedness exercises, building and maintaining the skills and experience needed to respond when wildlife needs us most.

That commitment to preparedness is being put into action during the ongoing oiled wildlife response efforts in the Los Angeles area, where trained OWCN responders from our organization have joined fellow responders from across the state to support wildlife recovery, care, and rehabilitation efforts.

We stand alongside our fellow member organizations in this collaborative effort and grateful for the dedication of the teams making this work possible.

While the number of wildlife in care changes frequently throughout each day, the majority of oil-affected wildlife recov...
05/30/2026

While the number of wildlife in care changes frequently throughout each day, the majority of oil-affected wildlife recovered so far have been Mallard ducks. As of today, 92 oiled Mallards have been collected from impacted areas and transported to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care & Education Center for specialized care.

Other species currently receiving care include Black-necked Stilts and Canada Geese. Each species presents unique challenges during rehabilitation (particularly if oiled), requiring trained responders and specialized protocols to give them the best possible chance of eventual release.

As OWCN field recovery teams continue to conduct surveys to rescue oiled wildlife, we will update numbers of impacted wildlife daily at owcn.org

UPDATE: Additional trained OWCN responders from the following organizations have joined the ongoing oiled wildlife respo...
05/29/2026

UPDATE: Additional trained OWCN responders from the following organizations have joined the ongoing oiled wildlife response in Los Angeles (in alphabetical order): CICRU - Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI), Golden Gate Bird Alliance, North Valley Animal Disaster Group, Point Blue Conservation Science, SPCA Monterey County, and The Marine Mammal Center. These additional responders bring us to a total of 20 OWCN member organizations involved.

As of this afternoon, a total of 111 live birds and 2 live reptiles have been collected since 5/23/2026.

05/28/2026

UPDATE on Los Angeles Incident: Road closures have been lifted in the area where an underground crude oil pipeline was struck by a telecommunications contractor, after a Unified Command affirmed that the immediate public safety concerns in the area are resolved.

The Unified Command managing the response includes representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Pacific Pipeline System LLC (PPS), which operates the impacted pipeline.

The discharge occurred in the early hours of May 22 near the intersection of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and North Eastern Avenue. Crude oil entered nearby storm drains and impacted approximately 17 miles of the Los Angeles River. As of 9:00 a.m. PDT on May 28, sheening and product was contained north of the Pacific Coast Highway bridge.

Clean-up of discharged oil in the river channel is ongoing. Containment boom remains deployed within the river at multiple locations to prevent further migration downstream. The safety of the public and responders and minimizing impacts to the environment are the top priorities of the Unified Command.

Prior to reopening the road: soil conditions under the roadway near the incident were assessed; the affected roadway and sidewalk surfaces were cleaned; and the area was confirmed safe to reopen to all traffic. Longer-term soil remediation work in the area where the pipeline rupture occurred will be planned for a later date under the oversight of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The work will be scheduled with consideration for community impacts and minimizing disruption to nearby residents and businesses.

Cleaning of oil in the affected storm drains within the immediate area of the intersection is complete. An interactive map showing the progression of remaining storm drain cleaning activities is available in the comments of this post.

The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) has been activated as part of the Wildlife Branch to recover and care for oiled wildlife. For your safety and the safety of the animals, do not attempt to capture oiled animals. Report oiled wildlife to 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926). This is not an informational or volunteer hotline.

Information on wildlife operations as of May 27 at 3 p.m. PDT is available below. These numbers include all confirmed animals collected through response efforts and may include some injured or deceased animals not related to the incident:

• 100 birds collected live
• 8 birds collected dead

Daily updates on wildlife recovered during the response are available at OWCN.org.

An investigation into what led to the third-party line strike and the volume discharged is ongoing. The section of pipeline impacted by the third-party line strike has been replaced. The pipeline has not restarted.

Los Angeles County Fire Health Hazmat and South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) conducted initial air monitoring and determined there was not a threat to public health. Air monitoring is ongoing out of an abundance of caution. For air quality concerns please contact the South Coast AQMD at 800-288-7664.

Public volunteers are not needed at this time, but an information line has been established that will provide updates. The number to call is 1-800-228-4544.

The claims phone number for this incident is 1-877-817-5465. Potential claims may include documented property, business or other incident-related damages and expenses.

Address

UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA
95616

Telephone

+15307524167

Website

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