Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has expressed grave concern at reports today of oil covered birds turning up on beaches along Ireland\u2019s east coast.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on biodiversity, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI am shocked to learn of this incident, which is being closely monitored by Birdwatch Ireland and the Oiled Wildlife Response Network. Heavily oiled seabirds, including Guillemots, have been spotted on beaches stretching from Carnsore Point in Wexford to Dalkey in Dublin, with my own Wicklow constituency also affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to acknowledge the efforts of Kildare Wildlife Rescue, who are leading the care and rehabilitation of any birds found covered in oil.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Irish Coast Guard is aware of the incident and efforts are now under way to establish the source of the oil.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis situation represents an unacceptable threat to our already vulnerable seabird population. The Government must offer every necessary support to the organisations tasked with rescuing, cleaning and rehabilitating the affected birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the meantime, those involved in the rescue operation have requested the public to stay off these beaches and keep their dogs under control at all times.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, what is needed is a coordinated national strategy to respond to incidents of this nature, which should include voluntary organisations as well as State bodies such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is vital that the source of the oil is identified as soon as possible, with those found responsible held fully accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 2, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has expressed grave concern at reports today of oil covered birds turning up on beaches along Ireland\u2019s east coast. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on biodiversity, said: \u201cI am shocked to learn of this incident, which is being closely monitored by Birdwatch Ireland and the Oiled Wildlife Response […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[517,268,7,516],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release","category-wildlife"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n