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Showing posts with label died. Show all posts
Showing posts with label died. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Mountain Lion P-22 Died from Car Accident and Long Term Poisoning per Necropsy by Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

Mountain lion P-22 died from being hit by a car and poison, california department of fish and game, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, car, death,died, necropsy, autopsy, puma, cougar, wildlife
Mountain lion P-22 died from being hit by a car and poison, california department of fish and game, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, car, death,died, necropsy, autopsy, puma, cougar, wildlife

The California Department of Fish & Wildlife finally released the necropsy report for Griffith Park mountain lion P-22 who died December 17, 2022. He died as a result of being hit by a car and long term poisoning. He had five different types of anticoagulant poison in his liver, blood and fat. Research has shown that poison causes permanent organ damage especially to the kidneys. Anticoagulants cause serious kidney damage called anticoagulant-related nephropathy (ARN) and results from bleeding in the kidneys. Poison also causes immunosuppression which causes the body to not be able to defend itself from common mites and other conditions. The poison caused P22 to become ill and weak which is most likely why he came closer to humans looking for easier prey. When they become lethargic from the poison they are more easily hit by cars. Poison killed P-22. We must stop poisoning wildlife. Poison and depredation permits cause 100x more mountain lion deaths than cars. 

In July of 2011, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife requested California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) restrict the use of anticoagulant rodenticides due to numerous incidents involving direct and indirect poisoning of wildlife. Nothing was done. They requested the same in 1999. While CDFW has no jurisdiction over pesticides they do control depredation permits for mountain lions. In light of the many deaths from poison no new depredation permits should be allowed. An emergency injunction is needed. 1,700 mountain lions have been killed in California with depredation permits from 2001 to 2018. Population estimates were 4,000 total in California. 42% were killed by people who were not willing to protect their pets or farm animals with proper barns or fencing.

We did a State Information Act Request to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife for the necropsy report immediately after P22's death. They repeatedly stalled and stalled stating it was a lot of information to compile and would take more time than allowed by the law. The report was finished within days of P22's death. We've had wildlife necropsied at the same state lab that did P22's toxicology report. It takes a few days max. Immediately after finally writing up a lawsuit to compel production of the information act request they department released the report publicly.

California Department of Fish & Wildlife Press Release About P-22 Necropsy Report


Joint news release with National Parks Service

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and National Park Service (NPS) reviewed the final postmortem examination and lab tests from P-22, the beloved mountain lion from Griffith Park. The results confirmed P-22 had been suffering from multiple severe injuries and chronic conditions that impaired his ability to function in the wild and would have lowered his quality of life if placed in human care.

P-22 was captured and anesthetized by CDFW and NPS on December 12, 2022, after scientists noted a recent change in his behavior.

He was transported to the Los Angeles Zoo for initial examination and treatment, then transferred to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for follow-up evaluation, including a computed tomography (CT) scan, where it was discovered that he had serious injuries and health problems. He was euthanized under general anesthesia on December 17, 2022.

The postmortem examination was completed by veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo.

"We are grateful to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Los Angeles Zoo teams," said Deana Clifford, a senior wildlife veterinarian for CDFW. "They provided excellent care for P-22 and conducted a detailed postmortem examination that shed plenty of light on this cat's condition."

Some findings demonstrated that P-22 had recent trauma to his head and right eye, including an orbital fracture with bleeding and early stages of scar tissue development. This is consistent with reports of a vehicle strike the night before he was captured.

P-22 also had injuries consistent with older, significant trauma, including a diaphragmatic rupture, through which the liver and sections of connective tissue from the abdomen had herniated and were inside his chest cavity.

Pathologists determined that this injury was older than the injury to his face and eye due to differences in the stages of scarification associated with each injury.

The examination also confirmed that he was underweight, arthritic and had progressive and incurable kidney disease, as determined before his death. He also had a severe parasitic skin infection over his entire body, caused by demodectic mange and a fungus, specifically ringworm. This is the first documentation of a demodectic mange infection and a concurrent systemic ringworm infection in a California mountain lion.

Toxicology testing on his liver at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) UC Davis revealed exposure to five anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) compounds. However, he had no evidence of AR poisoning (i.e., unexplained bleeding, injury, illness or death due to exposure to the toxicants).

These include first-generation ARs, diphacinone and chlorophacinone, and longer-lasting and faster-acting second-generation ARs, brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone. Diphacinone was also detected in a sample of P-22's blood collected after he was captured, which may indicate recent exposure. Diphacinone was also detected in P-22's blood in 2014 when he was captured by NPS biologists and treated for a different skin infection caused by notoedric mange.

A separate CDFW study tested 247 mountain lions at the CAHFS lab. It showed that 96 percent of tested animals had exposure to one or more ARs. While felids tend to be more resistant to AR poisoning, there have been at least seven AR-related mortalities in Southern California mountain lions over the last 19 years.

Additionally, desmethylbromethalin, the toxic metabolite of bromethalin, was detected in his body fat. Bromethalin is a widely available rodenticide that targets the brain and affects the central nervous system. Signs of bromethalin poisoning include muscle tremors, seizures, hind limb paralysis, respiratory paralysis and eventually death. There was no indication that bromethalin exposure resulted in poisoning on P-22 medical or pathologic exam. How P-22 was exposed to bromethalin, directly or secondarily through prey, is unknown. However, it is believed to be the latter.

P-22 was likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains as the son of adult male P-1. NPS biologists first captured and radio-collared P-22 in March 2012 when he was estimated to be two years old. He was one of the most senior mountain lions in a study the NPS has conducted since 2002.

He persisted for more than 10 years in Griffith Park and in the smallest home range that has ever been recorded for an adult male mountain lion. But life on this tiny “island” did not come without consequence. After crossing two of the busiest freeways in the world, 101 and 405, he would unknowingly become isolated and never produce offspring. His movements and access to natural habitat and prey would be restricted, putting him at increased risk for interactions with people, collisions with cars and exposure to rodenticides. As extraordinary as P-22’s life was - surviving against all odds - it is an increasingly common reality for wildlife.

"P-22 was a fascinating animal to study," said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the NPS mountain lion study. "Not only was he an important ambassador for urban wildlife, but his scientific contributions were also many. He helped us understand how mountain lions coexist with humans in this complex urban landscape, and his legacy will live on through our heightened awareness of how to live in harmony with wild neighbors and growing public support for wildlife crossings."

Below is the redacted summary of the necropsy report

"P-22 Necropsy summary for SDZWA Communications

History, medical findings and medical decisions have been previously summarized and shared.
A full post mortem examination was completed by the SDZWA Disease Investigations
department, including gross examination, microscopic examination and ancillary diagnostic
testing.

The post mortem findings are consistent with the animal’s history of recent trauma and confirm
the findings from the extensive diagnostic work up. There were a myriad of acute and chronic
medical conditions that contributed to declining health status.

Consistent with recent trauma, there was a fracture of the right orbital bone and gross evidence
of hemorrhage in the frontal sinus and right eye. The microscopic appearance of the right
orbital fracture included early fibrosis, supporting the time-frame of being hit-by-car 6 days prior
to euthanasia.

Consistent with older trauma, there were tears in the diaphragm, through which liver and
omentum had herniated into the chest cavity. The presence of mature fibrous adhesions
(scarring) indicated this injury was longer standing. There was evidence of chronic vascular
compromise to the herniated liver lobe, while the remaining liver was microscopically within
normal limits.

There was significant, multifactorial skin disease causing the poor condition of the hair coat. In
all examined skin sections (face, neck, hip, foot), there was heavy colonization of hair follicles by
mites (Demodex sp.) and dermatophytes (skin fungus / ringworm, Microsporum canis). Systemic
spread of the skin fungus was found in a lymph node. Generalized Demodex mite infections
suggest underlying immunosuppression or other disease. The skin disease likely contributed to
the deteriorating medical condition and systemic inflammation.

Age related changes were also noted and included heart valve disease, vascular disease, and
kidney disease. Changes were mild but were irreversible.

Toxicologic analysis of a post mortem liver sample for rodenticides was performed by the
California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) laboratory. Five anticoagulant rodenticides
were detected at varying concentrations. There was no evidence of abnormal hemorrhage or
coagulopathy that would suggest toxicosis, grossly or microscopically. Neurotoxic rodenticide
bromethalin was detected in a trace amount. There were no clinical signs consistent with
bromethalin toxicosis. Bromethalin does not typically result in microscopic lesions. Reported
amounts are below.

Anticoagulants Screen - Quantitated, Liver
Analyte Result (Cummins comment: analyte: chemical being analyzed) (ppb)(Cummins comment: part per billion) Rep. Limit (Cummins comment: reporting limit) (ppb)

Brodifacoum, 96, 50
Bromadiolone, 530, 50
Chlorophacinone, 87, 50
Coumachlor, Not Detected, 20
Difethialone, 220, 50
Diphacinone, 960, 50
Warfarin, Not Detected, 20
Difenacoum, Not Detected, 20

(Comment by Cummins. Notice how much higher the poison amounts are in P22 than reporting limit. He had large amounts in his liver. Much more poison was removed from his body via the liver and kidneys. It still does damage even after it's expelled.)

Bromethalin, Adipose Tissue
Analyte Result (ppb) Rep. Limit (ppb)
Desmethylbromethalin, Trace, 1.0

In summary, there was evidence of recent trauma to the head, a prior traumatic event resulting
in diaphragmatic tears and hernia, significant skin disease due to multiple infectious agents, and
exposure to rodenticides.

References


P34 died from anticoagulant poison with five poisons in her system at death
https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/news/p-34-test-results-confirmed.htm

Anticoagulant poison promotes immune dysfunction in bobcats, mountain lions causing mange deaths
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5805946/


Riley SPD, Bromley C, Poppenga R, Uzal FA, Whited L, Sauvajot RM. 2007. Anticoagulant exposure and notoedric mange in bobcats and mountain lions in urban southern California. J. Wildl. Manag. 71, 1874–1884. ( 10.2193/2005-615) [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

Many have requested that these poisons be restricted due to exposure to nontarget wildlife
https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/registration/reevaluation/2018_investigation_anticoagulant.pdf





Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.


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Monday, January 17, 2022

No Betty White Challenge because White supported keeping wildlife in zoos - Animal Advocates

elephant, gita, los angeles zoo, betty white, betty white challenge, animal advocates, inhumane, captivity, sanctuary, los angeles, california, mary cummins Wikipedia image. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gita_elephant.jpg

Many animal groups are doing the "Betty White Challenge" today asking for money to honor Betty White's love of animals on what would be her 100th birthday. We are not. The reason is because White supported keeping wildlife in zoos. She actively worked to keep elephants in the LA Zoo instead of sending them to a willing elephant sanctuary. During that time 13 elephants died in the LA Zoo from captivity related ailments. Some died from foot ailments such as Gita pictured below because they didn't have enough room to roam on softer ground. We are thankful for Betty White's love and support of other animals, racial injustice and LGBTQ rights. Photo: Gita elephant who died in LA Zoo from Wikipedia.

#bettywhitechallenge #bettywhite #losangeleszoo #lazoo #elephant #billy #ruby #gita #tara #dead #captivity #sanctuary

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.


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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Clifford C Pellow - Anti fox hunt activist passes away in England at the age of 73 - Animal Advocates

Clifford Pellow, Clifford C Pellow, anti fox hunt activist, obituary, died, dead, england
Clifford C Pellow was born in Devon, Cornwall, Scilly, England June 1943. Pellow was a former fox hunter of 23 years. He was ultimately disgusted by the cruelty of the sport and decided to fight against fox hunting. In 1997 Andrew Tyler wrote a booklet "A Brush with Conscience" that detailed Clifford's revelations. Many hunters who see the light just walk away - Clifford had the guts to stand up and be counted as an opponent of his former pastime. Clifford recently was fighting England Prime Minister James Cameron's move to relax the fox hunting ban. Clifford married Barbara Jones in 1983. He passed away at his home September 2016.

THE SORDID TRUTH ABOUT FOX HUNTING– BEHIND THE SCENE’S (sorry about the formatting)

A Brush with Conscience – Why a Huntsman Abandoned His Sport

Author: Andrew Tyler 1997          


INTRODUCTION

Formore than two decades, Clifford Pellow served as a professional Huntsman with several packs of fox hounds in England and Wales. The last eight years of hishunting career were spent with the Tredegar Farmers Fox Hounds in South Wales.Always a stickler for the rules, Mr Pellow became more and more outraged at theabuse of foxes ordered by his Hunt Master in breach of hunting codes ofconduct, until, unable to stomach it any longer, he protested. As a result helost his job.

Hetook his complaints to the Masters of Fox Hounds Association, which held amockery of an 'enquiry', and finally 'exonerated' the Hunt Master, Mr HowardJones.

InNovember 1991, Clifford Pellow, at the invitation of the League Against CruelSports, attended a Press Conference in the House of Commons, where he describedto the media and several Members of Parliament, several incidents during whichfoxes were abused in contradiction of the rules of the Masters of Fox HoundsAssociation during his career as professional Huntsman for the Tredegar FarmersFox Hounds.

Mr Howard Jones, Master of that Hunt, who was publiclyaccused by Mr Pellow of being responsible for these abuses, launched a libelaction against Mr Pellow. The case came to court on 24th November 1994 in CardiffCrown Court. In his defence Mr Pellow called hunt supporters as witnesses toverify his allegations.

On1st December, after a six-day hearing, the jury cleared Mr Pellow of libel. Thecourt ordered Hunt Master Mr Jones to pay all the costs of the case - estimatedto be almost £100,000. Mr Jones, however, continues as Master of the Hunt withthe blessing of the Masters of Fox Hounds Association.

Awardwinning journalist Andrew Tyler was commissioned by the League Against CruelSports to interview Mr Pellow and write the compelling story of a man whoseburning conscience caused him to turn his back on a sport which had enthusedhim from childhood, and in which he had risen to the top, but whose governingbody pathetically failed him when he complained of horrific cruelty in breachof their own much-vaunted codes of conduct.

CliffordPellow has since carved out a new living unconnected with bloodsports and is amember of the League Against Cruel Sports. The League and its active membersnow benefit from his advice and unique knowledge and experience. He now looksback on his hunting days with new eyes and can no longer justify the continuingexistence of the 'sport' he once loved - even if conducted in accordance withthe rules. However, it is possible that he would still number amongst hunting'sleading professionals today, had his less conscientious superiors supported himin upholding the standards they publicly and piously proclaim in defence of foxhunting.

---------

Clifford Pellow, aprofessional fox hunter for 23 years, believed unwaveringly in the integrity ofhis 'craft'. He'd learnt its mysteries in night stories from his grandfather -all about wily Reynard and the special breed of man in red tunic who led thechase with horse and hounds that, on a good day, ended with Reynard beingvanquished. Grandfather was a Devonian quarryman who crushed stones for aliving; he followed the hunt on a push-bike. But Clifford achieved themiraculous. He married well and rose to become a huntsman: the highest rankingpaid 'servant' of the hunt.

Disillusionmentcame in stages. The Ruritanian cap-doffing and knee-bending, once an integralpart of the grand mystique, grew wearisome - especially after he came to seethe calibre of man to whom he was expected to defer. When, in 1985, he took ajob with a Welsh hunt - the Tredegar - that played slack with the rules, theremnants of his pride disintegrated.

‘I was getting very bitter, if you like, about the things that I saw. Itwasn't what I'd been brought up to. It wasn't the hunting that I knew, thesport that I had enjoyed, once loved and defended.' In advance of hunting days,he says, foxes were caught in traps, put into sacks and, after being draggedacross a couple of fields to get up a good scent, released for the hounds toslaughter. Bad sport. In one incident, a milk churn rather than a sack wasused. In another, the terrified fox bolted from the bag into a farm where hefell into a manure pit. The farmer's son shot him.

Whatmade matters worse for Pellow was that, from the start of his career, he'dalways been a man of starchy correctness, a disciplinarian who'd once beenfired for inflexibility. Now, here he was playing his own part in thetravesties. "I was as guilty as everyone else. Sickened by it, butguilty".

He remembers one fox, caught and handed over by a localfarmer, who was kept for a week in a 40 gallon bone bin, where he was sustainedon liver and water. "I remember looking in on him on the Friday, lookingat this beautiful creature, which he was, and thinking: Tomorrow this timeyou'll be a thing of the past, ripped to pieces. Seventeen-and-a- half coupleof hounds will be biting at you, each hound with 32 teeth."

'And before that there's the fear as you're grabbed by the tongs andstuck in the sack.'

‘I've held a fox many times by the scruff and brush and felt howpetrified they get; their hearts banging away like hell; farting and excretingand peeing every time the hounds speak. And I'm the person giving him threeseconds to live. I am responsible for it. Absolutely ghastly..'.

InJune 1990, oiled by a few whiskeys, Pellow spilt his complaint to theTredegar's joint master at a hound show in West Wales. Pellow had been talkingto another practitioner when his master called over, condescendingly:"Have you finished with my kennel huntsman, because I am ready togo?"

"Iam not your fucking kennel huntsman", Pellow replied. "I am not youranything mister!"

Threemonths later, disgusted by the hunting establishment's failure to respondproperly to his complaints of malpractice, he took his case to the old enemy -the League Against Cruel Sports. Before the year's end, he was travelling toLondon with his wife, Barbara, to address a House of Commons press conference,at which he would denounce not merely the rule-breakers but the whole 'crueland pointless' hunting business. Death threats awaited him on his return to hisMachen home. A potentially costly libel action would soon follow.

'Asthe train pulled into Paddington, I remember looking out the window andthinking: What the hell am I doing here! Barbara, who is herself from ahunting background, looked at me and said "What's the matter withyou?" - because I must have gone quiet for a bit.'

Itold her I wasn't sure and she said: "Urn, you're not going to back outare you?" And I said, "Oh no, I won't do that". And she said,very staunch, like: "Good!" So I knew she was following what I wasthinking and I knew she was with me.

Acouple of days later when I had been accused of lying by someone when they wereinterviewed on our local television station, and I told them that nobody callsme a liar and gets away with it, Barbara looked at me and said: "Go on boy,you show the bastards what you mean!".

CliffordPellow is still trying to disentangle his feelings about a 'sport' to which hedevoted much of his childhood and all of his working life up until June 1990.He talks with almost starry-eyed nostalgia of the old-time 'greats' who trainedhim in his various jobs around the country - 'proper, professional huntservants' like Jack Champion of Sussex, Jack Dark of Somerset and Jim Chapmanof Yorkshire.

‘Theywouldn't have put up with the kind of nonsense I've seen in my time - likebagging, or tying a fox's leg over its shoulder to slow it down for the houndsto catch. If you did that in their country, they'd put a whip around you,without a doubt.’

But, on reflection, he recognises that, even in his 1960sGolden Age, things weren't quite so perfect. The rule book allowed, in thosedays, a fox to be dug up and thrown alive to the hounds. And it was alsoacceptable to cut the footpads of captured foxes, or dowse them in their ownurine, before turning them loose, so giving the dogs a stronger scent tofollow. While such trickery persists, it is, at least, formally proscribed.

‘The rule changes of the early 1960s were forced by public opinion,'says Pellow. 'For there was that same opposition as is happening today. Now,though, it's probably even stronger'.

‘Iremember you would be going through a village at night after a day's hunting,and the children would run out and shout things at you like, "How manyhave you killed today, mister?" Today they run out and throw bricks andcall you all sorts of rotten so and sos.’

'Whatevermight be said, hunting is no longer the thread that runs through village life.Eighty-five per cent of rural people are ignorant about its doings. It existstoday purely for a die-hard crowd who have been brought up to believe that itis a way of life, the country sport.'.

Pellowwas himself cast from such a mould. He dresses in the tweedy, striped shirtstyle of gentleman's apparel from the early '60s. His bearing is somewhat regimental,although gives way to quieter, melancholic interludes. His physique is compactand his stride brisk. He still has a crop of healthy black hair which brushesback ruthlessly, away from crisp, clean features. The dialect points to a lifeon the move, being a mixture of Welsh and Devonian. And there is the habit oflaying sudden and startling emphasis on a word or phrase that, for the moment,means everything to him.

Whathe has always wanted, you suspect, and what he turned to hunting for, was a safeniche within a clearly codified and stratified world; a world of orderly dramasin which the role of honoured professional - the potent leading man with thelicence to kill - would be his. Over the years, the thing unravelled. The gamewasn't played straight, he found out. And it wasn't worth playing, anyway. Itwas an awful realisation for a man like Pellow, but he has had the courage notonly to recognise it for his own sake but to make the discovery public.

Hewas born March 1943 in the mid-Devonshire village of Sticklepath and raised byhis mother and grandparents after his father vanished when Pellow junior wasjust three years old. His quarryman grandfather was the quintessential workingclass hunt adept, whose Saturday 'sport' gave focus to a life of frugality andhard labour. With his bed-time stories, grandpa was the tireless mythologiserfor the cause - the huntsman as stoic hero; the fox as bloodthirsty killer ofchickens and lambs.

Clifford'sfirst memories of a hunt go back to when he was four. He was on his way toSunday school in his best blue suit when a car backed into his drive and ranhim over, breaking his leg.

Aftertreatment, he remembers being pushed in a pram to where the hunt met atSticklepath's Taw River Inn. "A hound jumped up onto the pram and I stillremember his name after all these years: Wallflower. That was the name thehuntsman snapped when he put the whip around him".

1didn't go on the hunt itself but I did see them take off from the back of thevillage. The hounds were barking - or speaking, as I learnt to call it - and,being a bit afraid, I hid under the table. Our house was quite close to thecovert where they were and I thought for some reason they were going to getinto the house and get me. My mum came in and said, "Don't be so daft.It's only foxes they chase." A year later, nerves settled, he attended hisfirst chase where he was ritually 'blooded'. It was a pre-season event at which'un-entered' puppy hounds were being taught, by the example of the older dogs,how to kill, and at which the main quarry were fox cubs aged 20 to 28 weeks.

Wewere outside the village of South Tawton. A cub had gone to ground under abank. I saw him dug out. I was standing quite close, about 10 feet away. And Isaw him carried alive from the earth into a nearby field where he was chucked15 or 20 feet up into the air. When he landed, the hounds grabbed and tore himapart. Then the huntsman went forth and did the thing they still do today: cutoff the brush (tail) and the pads and distributed them among different people.Then the mask (head) was removed and given away as a trophy for mounting.

Beforethe carcase was thrown to the hounds, the huntsman - Bill Tozer was his name; abig gruff man, who, to me was like royalty (I remember pacing up and downoutside his house for half an hour just to get a glimpse of him) - he said tome, "Come here boy". Then he stuck his finger into the carcase andplaced two dabs of blood on my forehead and two on the cheek. I was bloodied.Years later, I myself used to blood the youngest member of the field.

ButI remember being absolutely over the moon, that this man had caught hold of meand touched me. And, of course, you don't wash it off. You let it wear off.

Fromthen on I went hunting as often as I could - always on foot, keeping up somehowby taking short cuts, like across rivers that the horses had to go around. Eventhough it was a minority of kids who went hunting. I'd always go with friends.Often their parents would come. But never my mum. Like my sister, she's alwaysthought it was cruel and used to grumble like heck at gramps when he waschatting about it.

Bynow, I was bunking off school to go hunting. I'd deliberately miss the freeschool bus so that I could go home and get sixpence from my mum for theomnibus. I'd use the sixpence to go to Tongue End and walk from there towherever it was. One day, I was caught by my form mistress, Miss Harvey; shewas at the hunt herself. All she did was smack me round the ear and say: "Enjoyyour day boy!".

Heleft school in 1958, aged 15, but was sacked from his first job, cutting kale,when he gave chase to a pack of hounds after they'd crossed the field in whichhe was working. His life's ambition at the time was to be a policeman, rather thana hunt servant. "In those days" he says, "the police wererespected. They had a certain power and trust. You had to be very, very carefuland polite with them. They were something special.".

Twicehe failed the police entrance exam; poor maths letting him down. A successionof labouring jobs, mostly on farms, followed before he walked into his firsthunt post in 1967 at the age of 24. It came after a chance meeting in a localpub with the top paid servant for the Tetcott Hunt. His name was Jim Deakin andhe invited Pellow to a Saturday chase, then back to the kennels - 'a greathonour' - where he watched the hounds being fed and their field wounds attendedto. They went for a drink in the village inn where Pellow recognised, in theway the regulars deferred to his older companion; buying him drinks andmanoeuvring to gain his ear; that to be a huntsman was to possess what he'dhoped to get from the police force: respect and honour.

OnDeakin's advice, Pellow wrote to the Masters of Fox Hounds Association (MFHA),hunting's governing body, and asked to be put on their jobs-wanted list. Somemonths later came an offer from the Sussex-based Old Surrey and Burstow Hunt.Pay, for a seven day week, was £13 10 shillings, plus use of a tithed house andthree tons of coal a year. As kennelman, his task was to look after the houndsand their quarters. Also, to prepare their food - skinning and carvinglocally-collected cattle and sheep who had perished, from injury or disease,before they could be taken to slaughter.

Aheadof him on the rungs to the top were the whipper-in (the huntsman's ears andeyes on the hunting field) and the huntsman himself. While the master was thehuntsman's social superior, the man - guided by a committee - who hired andfired, it was the huntsman who was supreme when the chase was on. 'The masteris strictly the amateur', says Pellow. 'He might tell him where to go and whatcoverts to draw but it is entirely up to the huntsman where and when he doesit’.

Downstairsas much as upstairs the lines of demarcation were fastidiously observed. To thekennelman, the huntsman was always Mr or Sir and his orders were not to bequestioned. The hounds also had their clearly defined functions and, as soon asthey failed to meet the terms, were ruthlessly expunged.

'Untilthat time, they were kept in warm, clean kennels - bitches and dogs apart -where they slept together on bench beds in a huge pile. In the morning theywere turned out into the grass yard for exercise'.

Morestringent conditioning, known as walking out, began during the spring andbecame progressively more taxing as the November start to the seasonapproached. At first, they are led on foot. Later, it would be by bicycle and,ultimately, by horseback for 15 mile cross-country trots.

Controlledbreeding was by the 'best' male and female specimens, with the new-born in thecharge of the kennelman for the first seven or eight weeks. Then they wereturned over to a friendly local farmer or some other hunt supporter so thatthey could get used to a world of chickens, geese and tractors.

'Bythe time they come back, it will, hopefully, be with some knowledge of theoutside world. As summer wears on, they are introduced to the kennel activityproper and trained to obey the various commands. At this stage, they are still"un-entered", which means they have no hunting experience. This comesduring the cubbing season - starting in August - when they will be 12 to 18months old. Those that fail to make the grade get the bullet; they are takenround the back and shot'.

Dogspast their prime (generally, older than five or six years) are also killed.Altogether, says Pellow, out of a pack of 60 animals, eight to ten are disposedof every season.

Howdoes a dog fail his or her master? There are many ways: A hound that won'tdraw (search for a fox) when a fox goes into covert but sits outsidewaiting for somebody else to do it, he's no good to anyone. Nor is the houndthat won't speak (bark) - because there's no point a hound finding a foxif it won't tell you about it. Or you might have a hound that speaks ateverything that moves - at a blackbird flying into a tree. Babbling it'scalled.

OldSurrey and Burstow was good hunting country, clean with plenty of open fieldsbetween coverts, hedges and ditches. The kill rate averaged about one a day.Most followers, of course, wouldn't have a clue whether you've killed or not.But, for hunt servants, the kill is essential. It's good reward for the hounds,sharpens them up, does them the world of good to have a bit of blood, as theycall it.

The game, for the two seasons he was at the Old Surreywas, he says, played straight. The Master, local squire Sir Ralph (pronouncedRaif) Clarke, was a 'splendid fellow, a first class chap'. And, with his fellowservants, Pellow developed genuine friendships. He also received the respect hecraved. ‘In the village you were the hunt. You were accepted by the localpeople as being something a little bit special.'.

Thechance of more variety took him to the Seavington Hunt in Somerset. Here, hewas allowed to ride the huntsman's horse, drive a Land Rover and build or mendthe odd fence… but never on hunting days. You weren't actually allowed out ofthe kennels on hunting days. No, no! Good gracious me! A kennelman's place, asthe name suggests, is in the kennels.

Hishuntsman tutor at the Seavington was 'the great' Jack Dark, whom he remembersbeing as straight as squire Clarke from the Old Surrey. And yet, while therules were observed, it was still a wounding business, and not only for thefoxes. The field injuries incurred by the hounds came regularly and were oftensevere. But, like soldiers in battle, pain and infirmity were invariablydeferred.

'Every-dayinjuries were thorns in feet and minor and major rips from barbed wire. ButI've seen hounds with their intestines hanging out, their eyes hanging down,and hounds with broken toes, broken legs, exposed testicles, and with ribs thathave stuck through their flesh; a collision with a vehicle or with a horsewould be the likely cause. I've never had a hound die in the field, though. Onehad a heart attack back in the kennels but she didn't die until the Sundaymorning'.

Thehorses also suffer. He has, personally, shot two in the field after they'dbroken their legs. And he remembers another being so badly ripped across herchest and legs by newly-erected barbed wire, she was incapacitated for threemonths.

Manyof the injuries to the dogs are dealt with by the hunt servants. 'We considerourselves, somewhat, as veterinary surgeons, which of course we aren't. Wedon't have the competence or the equipment, such as local anaesthetic. Yet, Imyself have stitched a hound with ordinary needle and cotton. She was calledTablet and you could see the fleshy part of her ribs underneath a barbed wiretear. Happily, she made a good recovery and the vet congratulated me on a goodjob'.

Onanother occasion, he used a razor blade to sever a toe that had been danglingby the cord through much of an active day's hunting. ‘I think it was then shefelt it, for she gave out with a yelp. I washed, bandaged and put some cream onit and she was out again in a fortnight.'

Trainingthe younger hounds and rebuking older ones for loss of concentration is also abruising business. To scold a pup, the servant seizes the culprit and strikeshim with the handle of the whip across the ribs - firmly enough, says Pellow,to raise a row of bumps. At the same time, the youngster is verballyreprimanded. An older dog who, say, shows interest in a sheep, will feel thewhip's leash. 'And I can tell you, I've had a whip around me a couple of times,that it does smart a bit.’

The aspect of his hunting career that, today, causes him mostremorse is his participation in 'cubbing' - the annual hunting and destructionof foxes aged no more than five to seven months, with the aim of teaching theirfamily group as well as the new entry of hounds a suitable lesson.

‘It is a barbaric, hideous business in which the victims are stillcompletely and utterly inexperienced and still dependent on their mothers.

‘It works like this: a huntsman, who knows his salt, knows there isa vixen in a particular covert and that there are five cubs with her. He goesinto the covert and soon the hounds pick up the vixen's scent and speak to her.They rattle around a bit. She'll try to warn them off and, when the going getstough, put her cubs to what she considers safety underground, in the earth.

'She will then break covert to take the hounds - she knows, she's experienced- away from the cubs. She'll run across the fields and when she decides to go,she'll go, never mind that there are 50 frightful people out there makingnoises and shouting. The hounds will come out and chase her a bit. This is agood thing. It enables your young hounds to know what happens when you'rehunting across a field.

'After a field or field-and-a-half the huntsman will call them back.Now they go to the earth where the cubs are and they dig them out. And theydon't kill one or two or three but every one of them - after which theycongratulate themselves on a beautiful morning's cubbing.

'Sometimes the cubs themselves break covert. I remember seeing one -no bigger than a ten-inch ball of fluff - up at the Lamerton (in Devon). Whenhe saw all these people shouting at him he stopped, looked at the hounds in aclump of brambles a distance away and thought, "Oh well, I'm safehere", and sat down. He was no more than ten feet away. And of course, thehounds came and he never moved. The master, a chap called Robbins, said to me:"Committed suicide that one." When a second cub came out, the samehappened to her'.

At the other end of the hunting season in March, many vixens areeither already nursing their new-born cubs or at least heavily pregnant.

'At the Tredegar, my last hunt, we had a vixen to ground. We justhappened to come across her hiding, if you like. One of the bitches slippedaway and started to mark the ground. The master said, "We haven't had akill so we'll have this one." When we got to it, I said to the master'Whoops vixen in cub sir!" And he said, "That don't matter, we'llstill have her." 'We carried on digging but by now my blood is boiling,for this is against all etiquette. And, now, he said, "Don't bother toshoot it, just fire into the ground and we'll leave her to the hounds."But I couldn't.

‘I did shoot her. I couldn't be bothered to go through the ritual,either, of holding her up. I just threw her and the hounds ripped her topieces, and as they ripped her, there were four little baby foxes, not yet withhair. They were naked, or bald, or call it what you like. And the master wentalong and just screwed them into the ground with his feet'.

If cubbing is the practice that, when looking back, most 'revoltsand sickens' him, the element within the hunt for which he reserves hisgreatest contempt are the terriermen. These are the hunt addicts who, aided bytheir fearless terrier dogs, block potential fox escape routes prior to thehunt and, on the day itself, dig out and either bolt or shoot animals who stillmanage to go to ground.

As well as 'official' terriermen - those attached formally to hunts- there are the 'unofficials', who freely assist the officials on hunt days forthe pleasure of 'working' their dogs.

Often, this second category will race to be first to get their dogsdown earths so that they can test them in underground battles with the corneredfox. They enjoy vying with each other to see who has the toughest, mostaggressive terrier and will proudly display their animal's, sometimesappalling, wounds.

Whenever a dog-fighting or badger-digging case comes to court, aterrierman will more often than not be at the centre of it.

‘Terriermen' says Pellow, 'are the thugs of the hunt. They are,quite frankly, a law unto themselves. They consider themselves in charge ofthings and completely indispensable. If you get too close when they are diggingout and producing a fox - 90 per cent of the time by foul means - they becomeaggressive. I've heard them even tell a hunt master to bugger off and come backwhen they've finished.

'They are aggressive because, deep down, they know what they aredoing is wrong and they believe you will see something and report them. What'sin it for them is that they get the fox in the end. It doesn't matter whetherthey throw it to the hounds, bash it on the head with a spade or stick an ironbar through its guts. And I've seen it all.

‘I've seen an iron bar stuck right through the lower jawof a fox. "Whheeerrr, you bastard," this one said to me "Thefucker won't get away now." And he, literally, had him pinned with an ironbar through his nose and jaw.'

Theactivities of terriermen, says Pellow, are tolerated because the spectacle ofsuch men at work is enjoyed by a large number of hunting's foot followers. Andit is these people who provide valuable revenue through their membership ofsupporters' clubs.

AfterJack Dark and the Seavington came The Holdemess Hunt in Yorkshire. Pellow wasthere, as kennelman, for one season, resigning over what he regarded was theshoddy treatment of his immediate superior and friend, Huntsman Patrick Read.

Readwas put down a peg when the master - an amateur - decided to take charge of thefield. Then came Read's dismissal, by means of a letter and withoutcompensation.

'Theydidn't even have the guts or the decency to tell him to his face.’

Thenext day I handed in my own notice and although they tried to get me to changemy mind, with an offer of a better job, I wanted no more part of it. They hadbeen, personally, very good to me, providing me with a couple of convectorheaters when my son was born and, every week, filling my car with petrol. Butthe principal of the fact remained. And I am a stickler for principal. I won'tbudge from it.'

Next,came a Hunt in North Yorkshire, where he was to witness a sadistic piece oftrickery.

Ridingahead of his huntsman, he saw what he thought was a three-legged fox. Hereported what he'd seen, they gave chase and eventually found the animalhobbling in a hedgerow. The dogs killed him. Pellow's huntsman - 'a first classprofessional and first class man' - jumped off his horse to take a closer lookand discovered that one of the fox's legs had been tied up behind his shoulder.Someone had hobbled him to ensure a straightforward kill.

'JimChapman called it a day there and then. On the way home he said something thathas always stuck with me. He said, fox hunting is the best sport this countryhas ever produced. Therefore we must always play by the rules. He was broughtup with that belief and because he saw the rules had been broken he stopped andwent home.'

TheHursley Hunt in Hampshire was his next posting and, here, he finally reachedthe pinnacle position of huntsman. He joined as something less - as kennelhuntsman, which placed him in charge of the kennels but not of the huntingfield. This was under the command of one of the joint masters - a ColonelDouglas Drysdale. The Colonel had followed in the previous huntsman's tail-windfor years. Now he, the amateur, wanted to do the professional's job.

'Fromthe reports I've had, you're a good chap,' he told Pellow at the interview. Hewas doubly convinced after seeing Pellow in action. From May I, when Pellow wasengaged, until the Thursday in November prior to the Saturday start of theseason, the Colonel persisted with his ambition to take charge of the action.

Then,returning to the kennels after exercise, he confessed: ‘I must have been acomplete and utter idiot if I think I can hunt hounds. As from now, you arepromoted to huntsman.' At this moment of opportunity, Pellow panicked: ‘I said"I'm not ready for the huntsman's job sir". And he said, "Well,see how it goes”’

Theywere due to start cubbing at 6.30 a.m. The Colonel called his new huntsman out45 minutes early so that Pellow's first moments in charge would be without thescrutiny of a critical audience. Drysdale was not only pleased with that firstperformance, he went on to describe Pellow to the Duke of Beaufort - hunting'spremier figure of the day - in superlative terms "Give this lad a couplemore years experience and he'll become one of the top six huntsmen in thecountry."

‘Ifmy grandfather could have looked down through the clouds he would have said,"Well done boy!", because I had done it. I had got there. Walking outinto the kennels in the morning half an hour after everyone else, it was readyfor you. The yards were clean, the hounds were ready for you to exercise. Andit's "good morning sir", with a little twiggle of the cap.'

Troubleat the Hursley started after two seasons following the Colonel's departure;there had been a financial dispute with his committee members. A banker, HughDalgetty, came in as master and now he wanted what the Colonel had originallysought but relinquished: command of the hounds.

Thecritical point of tension, however, related to Pellow's marriage breakdown. Hehad met and wed his first wife, Anne, seven years earlier in 1968 while at theOld Surrey and Burstow. She was gentry; an uncle owned a vast estate in NorthWales. She rode expensive horses, shot and hunted and did nothing much else inthose days (though Pellow says she's now a reformed character, living apractical life in the Orkneys. They remain friends.)

In1975, news of their discord alarmed Pellow's new master. He was worried the'antis' would make great play of it and that the whole matter would bedetrimental to hunting's reputation.

‘Iwent down to his house, Lockerby Hall, which was quite a big house; he waslocal landed gentry. And I said, "I can't be bothered with people likeyou". His mum came in and they all stood up, and they're not dukes orearls or lords. They're just Mr and Mrs who happen to own 16000 acres.

'Andthere was all this bobbing up and down like mushrooms in a frying pan and hewas rattling on. He wanted me to resign at the end of the season because he wasworried for the hunt's reputation, but I said, "Oh, stuff it!" Ichucked it in, I resigned - there and then.'

Inhis early days, the arcane nature of the hunt - the social stratification, thebaronial etiquette - were a prime attraction for Pellow. But, at the Hursley,he came to see that his cherished world was unjust as well as risible. It wasprobably here that the seeds for that rich crop of discontent were sown.

Amatter of personal pride, fiercely defended, led to the break, after five yearsservice, with Pellow's next hunt: the Tivyside in Cardigan.

Hewas out in the field one day chasing a fox when he came across a rider who, hesaid, caused him to send the hounds in the wrong direction, yet shifted theblame onto Pellow.

‘Ifa fox breaks covert and goes East, you turn your horse, take your cap off andpoint the way he's going. But he didn't, he holloaed and carried on lookinginto the covert. I put the hounds on the way he was looking, to which he said,"You're hunting heel line (in other words, the opposite direction that thefox took) you daft bastard".

‘Itold him if he knew what he was doing he wouldn't be looking in the wrongdirection anyway. And he replied, "Don't you dare speak to me that way, Ihappen to be this, that, and t'other." And I said, "You also happento be a bloody idiot", and carried on.

Areprimand from his master followed, with an order to apologise; the offendedparty was an important hunt official. Pellow refused, insisting he had been inthe right. His master insisted on obedience. The following day, Pellow formallyresigned. For some weeks, the master stalled about accepting it. Pellow was askedto reconsider but he wouldn't budge.

'Thischap accused me of doing something that wasn't my fault and it wasn'tretracted. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am a stickler for principle.I would not be moved.'

Itwas 1980. For one season he worked as huntsman with the Lamerton, his 'home'pack in Devon. He was fired from here for excessive strictness - a failing heconcedes. ‘I wouldn't have people riding in front of me, in front of hounds.Wouldn't have people calling me Clifford. If they couldn't say "Goodmorning sir", don't bother to speak at all was my attitude.'

Withno job and no house, he, his two children and first wife (from whom he hadstill not parted) sheltered for several months in a caravan belonging to alocal farmer. Their furniture was kept under tarpaulin for eight weeks on thelawn of the tithed cottage he had been forced to vacate.

Hisfinal hunt job was with the Tredegar Farmers in Gwent and it was here that hemet his 'adored' second wife, Barbara.

Hewas to stay with the Tredegar for eight years, the longest any servant hadremained. This was despite the fact he regarded the area as poor huntingcountry, with little opportunity to gallop through its small fields which werespiked with barbed wire and had lots of woodland and other cover. At theTredegar a familiar theme re-surfaced: the master who wanted charge of thefield rather than leaving it to his professional servant.

He considered resigning in 1985 but persisted. Jobs wereno longer easy to find. ‘I stayed and gave the master all the support I couldbut then I noticed things were going wrong.' Trapped foxes held captive in milkchurns and in bone bins, then, on hunting day, put into bags and dragged acrossfields - all so as to impress the followers whose donations keep the enterpriseafloat…this was not the 'sport' of his grandfather's night-time stories.

‘It was "only a fox" at the end of the day, not a creaturewho could feel the same as you or I. The excuse given in arguments with theantis is that the fox is a killer, a pest. But when you're at your huntfunction, such as your hunt dance, you never hear the hunting fraternity say,"Oh, we'll have to kill a fox tomorrow because it killed a chicken or asheep." That's just an excuse. The hunting fraternity have hundreds ofexcuses for hunting but not one justification.

'Thereason for hunting is simply to provide sport for, as we term it in the huntingtrade, those who follow you. That is to say, for those who pay the subwhich, in the end, pays your wages.'

Followingthe bust-up with his master at the June 1990 Builth Wells hound show, Pellowlodged a formal complaint about the rule breaking with the Masters of FoxhoundsAssociation. Several letters passed between the two parties. An inquiry time wasset but, when Pellow asked for it to be re-arranged because one of hiswitnesses couldn't attend on the given day, the MFHA refused.

"Theirhandling of it,' he says, 'was absolutely filthy. They had been given dates,places, what was done by whom and three signed statements - and still theyallowed the guilty party to carry on. But then they were not going to be toldwhat to do by a mere servant and, at the end of the day, that's what we are.When I had asked for another date for the inquiry, I was told, "That's itboy, you've had your chance." I might at least have been called Mr Pellow.I was not a boy. I was 47 years old.'

TheMFHA rejection drove Pellow into the arms of the League Against Cruel Sportsand, before the year's end, into a public denunciation of the 'craft' to whichhe'd devoted his life.

Hebriefly took a job as a senior security man for government offices in Gwent,heading a team of eight other men. At the back of the offices was a fox earth,occupied by a vixen and her young. Pellow regularly threw out food for them,brown bread and other scraps. Now he is running his own business deliveringanimal feed to farms in South Wales.

Butthere is still one ghoulish reminder of the bad old days: the head, or mask, ofthe fox from Tredegar whom he kept alive for a week in the 40 gallon bone bin.Though Pellow was not in at the kill, he arrived soon after and, personally,decapitated the slain animal. Until he abandoned hunting, the mounted trophywas displayed at his home. It now sits in a cupboard. One day, he says, he'llsell it, and give the £60 or so it should raise to charity.

‘Ifyou were to put two petitions in front of me - one for the continuation ofhunting and one for the abolition, I would, without hesitation, sign for abolition.All the hunting fraternity think I've been got at. After all, I've had myencounters with the antis. I've galloped over them and put the whip aroundthem. Caught one chap by the hair and galloped up the road and bounced him alittle bit.

‘Myopinion of the antis was that they were scum, scruffy, glorified hippies, andthat they only did it for a free lunch, or £20, or whatever it was. Now,looking at it from today, the antis I've met - the active saboteurs – OK, theydress odd to say the least. They have long hair and have earrings stuck wherethey shouldn't have earrings. But they are, when you think about them, genuinepeople who genuinely feel for the quarry. And, as such, I don't think theywould do damage to hounds or horses. It does happen but it is not theirintention to do it.

'Whenit comes to the fighting in the hunting field, I can only speak from the videoevidence that I've seen, and 9 times out of 10, it is the hunting fraternitywho start it.'

'Yes,they think I've been got at. But nobody approached me. I made the approaches -both to the MFHA and, when that failed, to the League Against Cruel Sports.

'Orthey might say that I was not up to my job. Yet, the afternoon of my argumentat the Builth hound show, I had been speaking to a regional secretary of theBritish Field Sports Society who wanted me to do a public relations stand forthem at a major event in Swansea.

‘I believe that speaks for itself - that I must be regarded by those in the knowas some sort of authority on hunting.'

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.


Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Refugio Oil Spill Response California Department Fish & Wildlife - Animal Advocates Wildlife Rehabilitation

Animal Advocates, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Refugio Oil Spill, California, Fish, Wildlife, Rescue

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

OFFICE OF SPILL PREVENTION AND RESPONSE
REFUGIO OIL SPILL RESPONSE EVALUATION REPORT
May 2016 Summary and Recommendations from the Office of Spill Prevention and Response

Wildlife Branch Report Only
(Prepared/Edited by Animal Advocates)

Birds
Marine Mammals


267 live and dead birds collected
162 live and dead marine mammals collected
46/65 live birds captured were released
24/63 live mammals captured were released
19 died in care
39 died in care
202 birds collected dead
99 collected dead
Most birds collected were brown pelicans, murres and pacific loons
Most marine mammals collected were California Sea Lions

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to summarize the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response’s (OSPR) response efforts to date regarding the Refugio Oil Spill, as well as lessons learned and recommendations for improvement. The information and recommendations provided in this report are based on OSPR’s internal evaluation of performance in those response functions for which OSPR had responsibility. Although winding down, the Refugio Oil Spill response is ongoing, specifically focusing on implementing the Phase III Maintenance and Monitoring Plan. Because OSPR has a primary role in carrying out this plan, Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment activities will not be covered in this version of this report, but will be added as an addendum at a later date following full demobilization and closing of the response. Additionally, this report does not cover any civil or criminal investigations which are outside the scope of managing an incident.

The CDFW has public trustee responsibility for protecting, managing, and restoring the State’s fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. During response to oil spills in state waters OSPR fulfills the trustee mandate as the designated State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) and represents the State in coordinated oil spill response efforts with the Federal government. As such, OSPR is one of the few State agencies in the nation that has both major pollution response authority and public trustee authority for wildlife and habitat.

The facts, information, and recommendations contained in this report are based upon information which is presently available through the response effort. Additional facts may be discovered or known which could otherwise be considered to modify content or recommendations contained in this report. Thus, CDFW/OSPR reserves the right to not be bound to the content of this report if additional information becomes known after the publication of this report.

The Refugio Oil Spill and Response

The Refugio Oil Spill occurred on May 19, 2015, due to the failure of an underground 24-inch pipeline (Line 901) near Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County. The responsible party (RP) was Plains Pipeline, L.P. (a subsidiary of Plains All-American Pipeline). The pipeline failure caused crude oil to be released onto land and then it flowed into the Pacific Ocean. As initial information on the potential spill was gathered, it quickly became apparent that the spill was a significant event and was continuing to grow. The RP initially estimated the amount of crude oil released at about 104,000 gallons, with 21,000 gallons reaching the ocean.

Within hours, based on recommendations from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the CDFW issued a closure of fisheries. The following day, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County.

The pathway of the crude oil caused significant oiling to terrestrial areas before reaching the ocean at Refugio State Beach. A cliff face above the beach and the shoreline at Refugio State Beach was most heavily impacted. Other areas of the Santa Barbara and Ventura coast were also significantly affected. The crude oil that entered the ocean posed a significant risk to and injured marine wildlife, including invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals. In addition to direct natural resource impacts, the closure of beaches and fisheries occurred days before the Memorial Day weekend resulting in losses for local businesses and lost opportunities for the public to visit and enjoy the shore and offshore areas. Some tar balls attributable to the Line 901 release were carried by southerly ocean currents and eventually reached some beaches in Los Angeles County.

Wildlife Branch

Objectives & Responsibilities

Wildlife is put at risk when oil is spilled into aquatic or terrestrial environments. Both federal and state statutes mandate protection, rescue, and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife. In California, OSPR and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN; administered by the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center), work to provide the best achievable capture and care for impacted wildlife during oil spill response. This mission is met through providing reconnaissance for oil-impacted wildlife; assessing the need for and providing hazing of at-risk wildlife; recovering potentially oil-impacted live and dead wildlife; stabilizing, washing and rehabilitating impacted live wildlife; and documenting and managing disposition of dead potentially impacted wildlife.

Refugio Activities & Effort

In response to the Refugio incident, the Wildlife Branch Director (WBD; an OSPR staff scientist) activated the OWCN on May 19, 2015. This initial activation set in motion the activation of OWCN member organization staff, pre-trained volunteers, and facilities. On May 20, OSPR established the Wildlife Branch in the Operations Section at the Incident Command Post (ICP) and, with other Agency and OWCN Member Organization staff and volunteers, began recovering impacted wildlife. Wildlife Branch field operations were demobilized on June 24, based on oil fingerprinting results from samples taken from recovered animals.

Wildlife Reconnaissance

Baseline information on the status and distribution of wildlife was important in assessing at risk wildlife and developing appropriate response actions. While this information was available during spill response from the Environmental Unit of the Planning Section (Resources-at-Risk Specialist), variations from historic baseline conditions due to daily and seasonal movements of many animal species necessitated rapid, real-time reconnaissance of wildlife concentrations in the spill area. Real-time data were collected using aircraft and initial on-water/boat and onshore surveys. An OSPRcontracted team of U.C. Santa Cruz experts flew with a CDFW-piloted plane on May 21, 2015, to provide marine bird and mammal locations at-sea in relation to the spill. This data aided in planning where to send recovery teams, and determining whether and where specialized equipment was needed, e.g., specific kennel sizes or capture gear for specific species.

Reconnaissance also included managing over 1,000 phone calls from the public reporting over 300 sightings of oiled wildlife. The OWCN Oiled Wildlife Hotline (hotline) began receiving calls reporting oiled wildlife on day two of the spill. At this time, the hotline was transferred to OSPR phone operators who received information from concerned citizens on the location of oiled wildlife. Operators then transferred this information to Wildlife Branch staff at the ICP via email who then texted it to the Wildlife Recovery Group in the field.

The extent of coastline over which oiled wildlife was found was extensive. In past spills, shoreline reconnaissance has typically been covered by wildlife recovery teams from the shoreline. Post spill evaluation indicated that shoreline and/or boat reconnaissance teams could have been useful throughout the duration of this spill.

Wildlife Hazing

Wildlife hazing is intended to minimize injuries to wildlife by attempting to keep animals away from oil and/or cleanup operations. The need for hazing was assessed initially and throughout the Refugio incident and deemed not advantageous for onshore and nearshore birds and pinnipeds, and not practical far offshore for whales. The Hazing Group Supervisor made the recommendation to not haze via the WBD to the Unified Command. The recommendation was guided by site-specific and species-specific factors present at the time of the spill, and availability of proven hazing techniques.

Wildlife Recovery

Once animals became oiled, habitat-specific and species-specific strategies to recover and remove oiled live animals and all dead wildlife were required. Wildlife recovery teams – under separate bird and mammal operational groups – attempted to complete systematic surveys to collect affected wildlife, including at least one survey as early as safely possible after dawn. Successful captures not only depended on the condition of the target animals, but also on the training and experience of the Recovery teams, and techniques and equipment used. Concerned citizens began recovering oiled wildlife in the afternoon of day one of the spill in part due to lack of knowledge regarding wildlife response protocols (i.e., capture should only be done by qualified response personnel) and oil health and safety practices.

Bird recovery teams recovered 267 live and dead birds. Of the 65 live birds captured, 46 were released and 19 died in care. An additional 202 birds were collected dead. The primary species collected were Brown Pelicans, Common Murres, and Pacific Loons. Several oiled Snowy Plovers were observed at Coal Oil Point, but teams did not attempt capture due to a determination made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in consultation with the Wildlife Branch, that the risks of injury from capture outweighed the negative consequences of light oiling.

Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Marine mammal recovery teams (composed primarily of members of the California Marine Mammal Stranding Network acting within the OWCN and in coordination with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Marine Mammal Stranding Network Coordinator) responded to reports of live and dead oiled marine mammals. Teams followed national oiled pinniped guidelines, recently updated by NMFS following the Deepwater Horizon, to capture and recover marine mammals. For dead animals, recovery teams deployed to collect the animal, or (if the animal was too large to collect) field processing teams deployed to collect information/evidence from the carcass.

Due to a concurrent and on-going California Sea Lion Unusual Mortality Event (UME) and the use of the new national guidelines, additional staff and resources were needed to recover and process both live and dead marine mammals. Most facilities and local staff were already operating at capacity due to the UME. While the recovery teams that were initially deployed had limited supplies to support early bird operations, the unusual finding of large numbers of affected marine mammals presented a greater challenge for acquiring necessary equipment.

Teams recovered a total of 162 live and dead marine mammals. Of the 63 live mammals captured, 24 were released and 39 died in care. Ninety-nine mammals were recovered dead. The primary species collected was the California Sea Lion.

Animal Advocates, Mary Cummins, Los Angeles, California

Transportation

Transport of oiled wildlife from the field to the recovery/field stabilization area(s), and/or to the primary care facility was done as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, because most marine mammal facilities were above operational capacities due to the UME, the closest large-scale facility that could accept oiled pinnipeds was SeaWorld San Diego. Similarly, the closest large-scale primary care center for birds was the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care & Education Center, located in San Pedro. The extensive shoreline area over which impacted wildlife were recovered, coupled with the long distance to primary care facilities and significant traffic congestion, presented transportation challenges throughout the response. When possible, animals were checked on periodically during transport, and if needed, provided hydration and nutrition.

Field Stabilization

The Field Stabilization Group provided initial care prior to transportation to the primary care facilities to increase survival. The OWCN mobile veterinary laboratory/animal care trailer (aka, MASH unit) was dispatched to the field for this purpose. In addition, smaller wildlife rehabilitation centers (Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute and the Marine Mammal Care Center in Fort MacArthur for pinnipeds, and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network for birds) provided additional stabilization support.

Wildlife Care & Processing

The Wildlife Care & Processing Group utilized two Strike Teams – Wildlife Care and Wildlife Processing. The Wildlife Care Strike Team ensured that wildlife exposed to petroleum products received the best achievable care through veterinary services at 29 rehabilitation centers. The Wildlife Processing Strike Team ensured oiled animals were fully evaluated and that data were captured, so the UC could obtain oiled wildlife statistics used for a variety of purposes, such as response strategy development and media updates. Separate care and processing groups were formed for birds and mammals within the two separate primary care centers.

Recommendations

Both OSPR and OWCN hosted multiple “Refugio Incident Wildlife Hotwash” discussions to identify lessons learned among lead and key staff. The following describes significant lessons learned and recommended changes to improve spill response for oiled wildlife.

Wildlife Reconnaissance

· While the hotline was effective in receiving and transferring information for hundreds of calls, tracking the status of each animal was time consuming for responders in the field. In the future, data should be input to a “live spreadsheet” document that can be shared among key wildlife staff (e.g., operators, WBD, responders in the field). This system will provide data more efficiently to responders, and will aid operators in providing status updates to concerned citizens on animals they report.
· To address increased calls to the hotline as a result of public concern during spills and ready access via cell phones, as well as a request from OWCN for shoreline and/or on-water reconnaissance teams throughout the duration a large oil spill, OSPR should prepare to fill the role of Reconnaissance Group Supervisor in future wildlife responses and as appropriate in drills.

Wildlife Recovery

· The OWCN will develop more comprehensive plans to ensure an on scene core staff Wildlife Recovery Group Supervisor and complete supply caches (either within the OWCN’s Sprinter van or pre-staged caches) are available on day one of a spill. Additionally, the OWCN will establish standards to cascade resources to a spill over defined time periods.
· The Refugio Incident was the first spill in recent California history to involve significant numbers of oiled and possibly impacted marine mammals. For example, during the Cosco Busan oil spill, one live oiled marine mammal was encountered, and five dead. As such, activated Recovery personnel had greater-than-normal operational taskings for the incident size. In the future, additional staff should be activated to ensure coverage is attained both for responding to public/responder sightings as well as systematic regional searches.

Wildlife Field Stabilization and Field Processing

· OWCN leads should ensure all OWCN personnel receive additional training on the National Oiled Marine Mammal Guidelines, and develop California-specific guidelines that help enact these Guidelines. 
· For spills with anticipated wildlife impacts, a core staff Group Supervisor and the MASH unit (with equipment and supplies needed to support field stabilization and (if necessary) field processing) should be on scene within 24 hrs.

Wildlife Transportation

· Use of staff from OSRO’s as drivers for transportation of oiled wildlife was effective for providing dedicated personnel for this important task as well as trucks of sufficient size. In the future the WBD should consider the use of OSRO or other contract personnel/vehicles for transport, in particular when marine mammals are impacted. All transporters should be accompanied by a trained OWCN volunteer or staff who can ensure animals remain stable and can also direct communications with the facility and transportation coordinators to provide updates on estimated arrival times.

This report was prepared, edited by Animal Advocates wildlife rehabilitators located in Los Angeles, California. It is only the wildlife portion of the full report which is linked below. 

Animal Advocates
645 W 9th St #110-140
Los Angeles, CA 90015
www.AnimalAdvocates.us
info@AnimalAdvocates.us
www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA



Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.


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