NEWARK, Del.- Nearly five months later, a massive oil spill's cleanup is coming to a close. 

Since the Athos I tanker spilled thousands of gallons of oil in the Delaware River in late November, workers with the Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research team, based near Newark, have rescued 450 oil-slicked animals. According to team members, almost 90 percent of the rescued birds are healthy and have been released.

When the massive spill first happened, oil coated the wildlife and animals were paralyzed. This was what Tri-State bird rescuers were faced with just five months ago.

"It's always challenging to respond to a spill in your own backyard," said Dr. Heidi Stout, who led the rescue effort. It was a challenge that almost 200 volunteers took on. Stout said she has trained about 190 people since the spill happened.

"It's tremendous when the community is willing to step forward and cares that much about the wildlife in their area," Stout said.

Stout said it has been an emotional and busy process but a successful one after releasing almost 400 animals. She said all the animals have gone through the same process to get well including a medical examan and IVs to flush oil out of their system. Then the animals are off to the tubs to be washed and then to the dryers. Then they are eventually set free.

"The progress has been tremendous and certainly for the response community, the clean-up, the bulk is done," Stout said.

It is a clean-up that has given hundreds of animals a second chance at life.  
     

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