At the end of October our volunteers were lucky enough to welcome Libby Hall, Taronga Wildlife Hospital Manager, to Western Australia to conduct two 2-day workshops on Seabird Intensive Care & Rehabilitation. These workshops were comprehensive and covered a range of topics including seabird identification; rescue, capture & transport; handling, assessment & tube/feeding; diseases, secondary complications & medications; intensive care & housing; records, rehabilitation & release. Oil-spill response was also covered with anecdotal case histories that Libby has been involved in as part of a global oil-spill response team.

Attendees included WASR volunteers as well as members of some of the other wildlife groups/centres we network with – Native Arc Inc. (Bibra Lake), Kanyana (Lesmurdie), Darling Range Wildlife Shelter (Martin), Northern Wildlife Rescue (Perth northern suburbs) and AWARE (Mandurah). Also represented were two employees from the Dept of Biodiversity, Conservation & Attractions.

Our sincere thanks go to Taronga Zoo for sponsoring Libby to spend a week in Western Australia (and still be paid); and to Santos Ltd & Southern Ports (Albany, Bunbury, Esperance) for their generous donations which made these two events possible.

To have a presenter like Libby Hall with so much experience in the management and rehabilitation of seabirds was of great benefit to the new carer and seasoned rehabilitator alike. Libby has a fantastic down-to-earth style of presenting, which made the practical sessions so enjoyable. Those attending the workshops now have a stronger knowledge to successfully rehabilitate the seabirds that come into our care.

NB: No live birds were used in this workshop. Birds that were either found deceased or died in care were preserved for these workshops and have now been passed onto the WA Museum.