Photos and Video: Oil-Soaked Duck Gets Bubble Baths and New Friends

For Immediate Release:
September 26, 2014

Contact:
Katie MacDonald 202-483-7382

We’ve all seen pictures of wildlife who have fallen victim to oil spills—but most people don’t realize that fewer than 1 percent of oil-coated birds survive, even after months of baths and rehabilitation efforts by trained personnel. One mallard duck in Virginia who was so thickly coated in oil that she almost drowned before PETA intervened and who, after months of rehabilitation, did survive. “Before” and “after” photographs of the lucky duck the rehab crew named Maizzie are available here.

When PETA first encountered Maizzie on a cold day in April, her entire body was so saturated with thick, sticky, heavy oil that she was unable to fly and had pulled out many of her own feathers in a desperate attempt to clean herself.

PETA managed to scoop her up and rush her to a rehabilitator—and after several months of baths, the toxic oil was gone and her feathers had returned to their natural waterproof state. Maizzie made a full recovery—while bonding with two other ducks—and the three were safely released into a quiet neighborhood with three ponds to call their own. Video of Maizzie’s release is available here.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way,” and our staff wildlife biologists are happy to serve as a resource for any of your readers who encounter wildlife in trouble. Our website also has tips for living in harmony with wildlife year-round.