More dead birds giving Oilsands a blackeye
May 05, 2008 - 7:25 am
Kevin Usselman & Bryce Kelley
The Alberta oilsands is coming under fire again after a loon was found dead
and two others in distress at the ConocoPhillips tar sands site over the
weekend.
A campaigner with Greenpeace says he received the tip about the loons on
Saturday. It's the second incident involving birds in the oilsands in about
a week.
Last week, 500 ducks were found dead on a tailings pond at the Syncrude
oilsands site. That's because the birds, were found in a pond that has high
levels of minerals, not high concentrations of hydrocarbons.
At least one loon was found dead, and a couple of other birds were rushed to
the vets for treatment.
Officials with ConocoPhillips say they are reviewing the deterrents they use
to keep birds away from the area.
Meanwhile, the for-profit group Focus Wildlife, has been contracted by
Syncrude Canada to manage the care of birds recovered from the company's
pond near Fort McMurray.
Spokeswoman Coleen Doucette says Alberta is not set up to handle wildlife
rehabilitation of this nature.
Despite Syncrude issuing a public apology in the papers on the weekend about
the death of 500 ducks, Premier Ed Stelmach says that doesn't let the
company off the hook.
He says a full investigation is needed to make sure a similar environmental
tragedy doesn't happen again.
