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Posted: 4th February 2013

Seabirds wash up coated in mystery substance
Image: RSPCA
Rescue mission continues for seabirds washed up along south coast

Hundreds of seabirds continue to be washed up along the south coast of England, covered in an unidentified substance, which has been described as "white, odourless and globular" by the RSPCA.

Around 17 guillemots were found along the Dorset coast last Wednesday, and more than 100 birds have now been recovered. Most were found at Chesil Beach near Portland in Dorset, but one bird was found alive as far away as Worthing, West Sussex. According to the RSPB the majority of birds being washed up are Guillemots, though there has been a report of a dead puffin and a cormorant.

The Environment Agency is reportedly testing a sample of the unknown substance at its forensic laboratory in Nottingham. There is currently no solid information on the cause or source of the substance, with no recent reports of any shipping incidents. Many of the birds have been found in clusters, leading the RSPB to suggest the possibility that the source could be a long way out to sea.

As of 5pm on Friday the RSPCA is believed to have had 169 birds in its care. Most have been taken to the RSPCA West Hatch wildlife centre in Taunton, where 123 of the birds are being cared for. Deputy chief inspector at the charity John Pollock said: "The number of birds coming in have been growing and, sadly, there were quite a few dead birds this morning.

"We are still down at the beach though collecting and trying to save as many of them as we can. We are expecting this rescue mission to continue."

Speaking of the long-term effects, manager of RSPCA West Hatch Peter Venn added: "It is still early days and hard to say how the birds will survive in the long-term. We don't know what this substance is or what it might be doing to the birds, but we can say that margarine does seem to remove it and we are doing all we possibly can to give them the best chance we can of survival."

The charity is urging anyone who finds any of the birds to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.



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