Release of penguins hailed as milestone in New Zealand oil spill recover

Forty-nine micro-chipped little blue penguins waddled down a New Zealand beach and into the surf Tuesday in the first release of birds rescued after an oil spill from a grounded cargo ship exactly seven weeks ago. The release, which followed an international rescue operation, was hailed by rescuers and government officials as a milestone in the recovery of the Bay of Plenty region after the severe contamination from the Liberian-flagged Rena, which hit the Astrolabe Reef on Oct. 5. The National Oiled Wildlife Response Team said it marked the first major release of wildlife in a staged program that would continue for the next few weeks. Team coordinator, Massey University wildlife vet Kerri Morgan expressed her gratitude for the support they had received, including help from wildlife specialists from around New Zealand and Australia, as well as U.S.-based specialists from the International Bird Rescue and Oiled Wildlife Care Network. "We have had support from all over the country, and from our international colleagues. We have had an outstanding level of support from the local community," said Morgan in a statement. "The oil spill response teams have been working for weeks now to get the beaches to a standard safe to return the animals into we also have to thank the salvors, the volunteers and the New Zealand Defence Force." Morgan said the micro-chips would be monitored to see whether the spill affected the long-term health of the penguins.