Decontaminated Mallards Returned to Wild by Lake Metroparks

The that were contaminated during the recent  were returned to the wild Thursday.

The ducks have spent the last three weeks being cared for at the Lake Metroparks' Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center in Kirtland. They needed to be degreased because the oil made it so the birds' feathers were no longer waterproof.

This means the birds would have been unable to maintain their body heat, said Tami O’Neil, the wildlife care manager for the center. Consequently, they might have become hyperthermic had Lake Metroparks not interceded.

The Metroparks employees repeatedly cleaned the ducks until they had no semblance of the oil left on them. Meanwhile, they had to make sure they did not inadvertently domesticate the ducks.

"We minimize our handling of them and how much they see us," O'Neil said.

The ducks were returned to creeks near  complex and the  which is where they came from. O'Neil said the ducks should have no long-term negative consequences from their exposure.

O'Neil estimated that it cost between $2,000 and $3,000 to decontaminate the ducks. That amount will be refunded by Heavy Haulers, the company responsible for the spill.

The spill occurred when a truck, which carried a payload of 27,000 pounds of petroleum-based products, ignited near the I-90 entrance ramp on Route 306. The was overseen by the EPA.

O'Neil said she wanted to thank the Lake Metroparks about the contaminated ducks.

"We appreciate the community's help in alerting us," O'Neil said.