Rescued cormorant set for release

A cormorant that was covered in oil and infested with fleas was rescued by a tourist and nursed back to health by a veterinarian, but releasing it back into the wild has proven to be problematic.

The veterinary Peter Jaworski with the rare socotra cormorant at his clinic in Al Safa, Dubai.

DUBAI // Lucky was the last word an onlooker might use to describe the starving, oil-coated seabird lying helplessly on the sand.

Its inky legs were bound tightly by a fishing line, a hook had grazed its grey throat, and its charcoal feathers were infested with fleas and mites.

Despite all that, the rare socotra cormorant had not run out of luck completely: a gaping, camera-clicking crowd gathered around it on January 2 on the beach in front of the looming towers of Jumeirah Beach Residence.

The commotion caught the attention of the Italian tourist Stefano Gandhini - who just happened to know one of the few people in Dubai qualified to help.

Mr Gandhini was a guest of the veterinarian Dr Peter Jaworski, a bird specialist at the Modern Veterinary Clinic in Al Safa.

"He called me immediately," said Dr Jaworski, from Poland. "The bird was covered with parasites. Fleas and mites were eating him alive. When we put him in the bath at the clinic, the tub was crawling with parasites. This was an indicator that he was very weak. He had been starving probably for a few days."

The vet treated the bird and force-fed it with treats purchased from the fish counter at the Spinneys market near the clinic on Al Wasl Road. Slim, easy-to-swallow ladyfish were a favourite, though the cormorant was also partial to mackerel and other types of seafood.

"Fortunately, he accepted this way of feeding," added Dr Jaworski. "He was getting stronger day by day and was soon eating 15 to 20 fish a day."

The vet made plans to release the bird as soon as it was well enough. However, as it steadily recovered, it began to lose its natural fear of humans - an instinct that would be vital if it were to survive back in the wild.

Dr Jaworski believes the bird's troubles began when it became covered with oil that had spilled from a tanker or other vessel. It had then become snagged in the fishing line, and the hook had caused a small wound on its neck.

According to Tommy Pedersen, who runs the uaebirding.com website, birds are found in this sort of condition quite frequently in the UAE.

"This is a fairly common occurrence as there is an amazing amount of loose fishing line and cut fishing nets drifting offshore," he said. "On the East Coast, oiled gulls are a common sight off Fujairah."

The socotra cormorant - whose Latin name is Phalacrocorax nigrogularis - is listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species. Its population trend is decreasing. Pictures of the species drenched in oil became a familiar image during the first Gulf War.

Back at the clinic, the time was fast approaching when the bird would have to be released.

"It was getting really attached to humans," said Dr Jaworski. "The trick with any wild animal is not to let it get attached, so I was trying to minimise any physical contact except for treatment to keep it as wild as possible.

"But the bird was following us, he was responding to a sound like the fridge opening or the bucket of fish being opened like he was really happy, so I wanted to release him as soon as possible."

At last, the moment arrived yesterday morning when the cormorant was to be freed. Dr Jaworski did not feed the bird beforehand so it would start seeking food immediately upon its release. He might have regretted this decision, however, when the hungry cormorant took a wild peck at his face with its slender, sharp beak.

The bird was placed in a carrying box, which the vet laid on the back seat of his car before heading off to a nature reserve in Dubai. The big moment came, the box was to be opened, and the fit-again cormorant was to be freed to sweep once more across the Gulf skies ... but it was not to be.

Dr Jaworski took a quick look around and decided there was too big a risk that the bird would start following human visitors, so he took it back home.

He remains determined to free the bird, and now plans to do so in a few days' time at a remote site well away from any humans.

"He must be released to the wild," he said. "Every single individual is important."

When the sleek cormorant is free once more, Dr Jaworski hopes it will stay well away from oil spills and fishing lines, lest its good luck finally run out.