Three common loons were successfully released recently back into the Atlantic Ocean after surviving a fuel spill off Georgia’s coast. Agencies responding in mid-November to news of a leaking freighter included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
FWS personnel involved included contaminants specialists from Georgia Ecological Services— Brunswick and Athens offices, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge and FWS Law Enforcement.
More than fifty birds of different species are reported to have died due to the effects of the fuel spill. 
Rehabilitators from Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc., say that loons are among the most difficult species to rehabilitate following an “oiling.”
During their departure from Savannah harbor, ship’s crew members reported the fuel leaks after passing Tybee Island, part of the Savannah Refuge complex. Many of the oiled birds were recovered from Wassaw Island NWR, also part of the refuge complex.
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Contact: Mike Hobbs, 706 613-9493 x236
