Odesa zoo saves birds from oil spill following Russian attacks

By Iryna Nazarchuk

ODESA, Ukraine, Dec 24 (Reuters) - A volunteer lifts a lifeless bird from a windswept beach in Odesa, the Black Sea port city where an oil spill — blamed by Ukrainian officials on Russian strikes — has left wildlife struggling to survive.

Odesa has been a prime Russian target since Moscow's troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but the attacks have been more intense in recent weeks and wildlife are among the victims.

Russia has not commented on the spill, but has previously denied targeting civilian infrastructure.

Odesa zoo is determined to rescue birds that survive being coated with oil.

"Birds lose the ability to move because their feathers become coated. They can neither take off nor swim," zoo director Ihor Biliakov said outside a rescue point for rehabilitating the birds.

"They lose mobility and freeze very quickly, because it's cold now."

Dozens of birds fell victim to a spill which Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said was caused by Russian strikes last week that damaged sunflower oil storage tanks in Pivdennyi port.

The birds squawk indignantly as volunteers scrub them clean of oil from bill to toe.

Biliakov said the worst affected were two elegant species -- the great crested grebe and the horned grebe.

"The great crested grebe are waterfowl that are especially vulnerable to this kind of contamination, such as oil," he said.

Emergency crews installed floating barriers and deployed specialised vessels to contain the spill, while the port’s channel was temporarily closed, its administration said.

Authorities said the oil is organic and will biodegrade, but monitoring and clean-up efforts continue to prevent further spread.

(Reporting by Iryna Nazarchuk, Writing by Ron Popeski, Editing by Howard Goller)