Science in the box

In 1978, International Bird Rescue (www.bird-rescue.org ) founder, Alice Berkner, tested all available hand dish detergents and discovered that Dawn (Fairy, Dreft, Yes, Magistral, Cierto) was the most effective on cleaning oiled wildlife. She found that its powerful degreasing action was also gentle enough to be used on the delicate feathers of oiled birds. This was the start of P&G’s long-standing relationship with the IBRRC and the Marine Mammal Centre that to date has been able to help rescuers save over 75,000 aquatic animals injured by oil spills.
Every year marine wildlife can be injured or killed by oil pollution in inland or ocean waters.  A drop of oil the size of a small coin on a bird’s body or wings can damage the insulated layer of down feathers and cause the bird to freeze to death.

For additional information, visit:
http://dawn-dish.com/saveaduck/
or http://www.bird-rescue.org

P&G’s wildlife rescue and rehabilitation partners

Since 1978, P&G has donated more than one million USD to its wildlife rescue and rehabilitation partners: the International Bird Rescue (www.bird-rescue.org) and the Marine Mammal Center (MMC). In this time, P&G have also donated more than 62,000 bottles of Dawn dish detergent for use in treating and rehabilitating oiled wildlife. They have also helped International Bird Rescue and MMC to raise awareness on aquatic habitat destruction, elevating the public profile of these groups through the on-going marketing of these wildlife efforts.

• The International Bird Rescue is a leading authority on the care and rehabilitation of aquatic species that are victims of oil spills. They also operate year-round rehabilitation clinics and research facilities in northern and southern California. See http://www.bird-rescue.org/  for more information.
• The Marine Mammal Center rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured, sick and orphaned marine mammals (seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, whales and sea otters) along a 600 mile stretch of California coastline. It is the largest facility of its kind and since 1975, has rescued and treated more than 14,000 marine mammals. See http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/  for more information.

What is it that makes Fairy and Dawn so effective?





The unique surfactant system in Fairy and Dawn has been formulated to deliver optimized grease cleaning, whilst being mild. The specifically designed combination of anionic and nonionic surfactants (alcohol ether sulphates, alcohol ethoxylates, amine oxides) distinguishes it from traditional dishwashing surfactants. This combination boosts Fairy’s grease cleaning performance, but also makes it gentle to skin and therefore mild enough for use with sensitive wildlife.

Fairy and Dawn offer:

• Superior degreasing performance
• Fastest at removing oil from plumage
• Gentle on skin and feathers
• Good performance at cooler temperatures
• Easy rinse properties
• Safe for the environment under normal conditions

How does Fairy/Dawn work in the cleaning process?

After rescued animals complete their initial physical exam and are stabilized, they are then washed with a solution of Fairy or Dawn and warm water. A WaterPik filled with the same solution is used to clean the head. A soft toothbrush and cotton swabs are used to loosen dried oil around the head and eye area.
 
When the water becomes dirty, the bird is moved to a second cleaning area. The washing process is repeated as often as necessary and 10-15 tubs are not uncommon. The bird is considered clean when the tub of water is clear and free of oil.
The bird is constantly monitored for any signs of stress during the washing procedure. The birds are then rinsed, treated for any additional injuries, and allowed to rest before their re-release into the wild.

Via the Dawn Saves Wildlife Campaign, P&G initiated two programmes (Everyday Wildlife Champions and Junior Wildlife Champions) to help support wildlife rescue and rehabilitation projects, help train volunteer wildlife rescuers and raise public awareness on the need to better protect wildlife in their natural habitats. Via a website, P&G donated one USD to the Marine Mammal Center and the International Bird Rescue Research Center for every bottle of Dawn sold.

Dawn’s Everyday Wildlife Champions
In 2009, the Marine Mammal Center, the International Bird Rescue Research Center and P&G launched the Dawn’s Everyday Wildlife Champions, a USA national programme to help save endangered marine wildlife by donating part of the purchase price of every bottle of Dawn sold. This programme has been able to help volunteer rescuers save over 75,000 aquatic animals injured by oil spills, raise consumer awareness on the need to help and keep the public informed on ongoing rescue activities through a social media site .

Dawn Junior Wildlife Champion
In 2011, MSL GROUP and Dawn embarked on a joint education and activity campaign to engage young, wildlife enthusiasts known as “Junior Wildlife Champions.” Working alongside the International Bird Rescue Research Center and the Marine Mammal Center, a series of lesson plans and activities tailored to students in grades 3-5 were created to help teachers and parents get the next generation involved and explore wildlife issues.
The three lesson plans are broken down as follows:

1. Investigate Oil Spills (students learn about the way water and oil interact and how the real-life Gulf Oil Spill example impacts the environment in the short and long-term)
2. Discover Wildlife Rehabilitation (children hone in on how oil affects wildlife and follow the story of an animal’s journey from an oil spill back into clean waters)
3. Save the wildlife (students reflect on how they can be personally responsible for wildlife and develop an action plan to help wildlife in their communities and beyond).

In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Dawn provided animal rescuers with as much dish detergent product as needed. Within the first two weeks of the spill, P&G expedited shipments of the requested bottles of Dawn to oiled bird rehabilitation centers in the Gulf and kept in regular contact with International Bird Rescue to determine further on-going support. More than 12,000 bottles of Dawn were donated in the first year of the crisis.

P&G has provided global support for emergency rescue teams. In addition to the work done in the partnerships with the Marine Mammal Center and the International Bird Rescue, P&G have also been active in other wildlife rescue situations. Some examples:

• donation of product and funds around the world for wildlife rescue operations, including oil spill disasters following the sinking of the Prestige (2002), Tricolor (2002) and Erika (1999)
• a twenty-year partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare wildlife rescue team;

P&G also initiated ’Save our Sea Birds‘ with Taronga Zoo to create Australia’s first mobile bird-washing unit and organized ’Rescate Magistral ‘, a campaign with two conservation NGOs in Argentina to save oiled penguins. In 2005, P&G launched a three-year project with Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research (TSBRR) to create the Canadian Oiled Wildlife Rescue Academy (COWRA) to train and prepare wildlife oil spill rescue teams.

Save our Sea Birds





Save our Sea Birds  is an initiative of P&G and the Taronga Zoo in Sydney to establish Australia’s first mobile bird washing unit. It will allow any sea-birds affected by oil spills to be treated on-site before being returned to the wild. Australia has over 37,000 kilometres of coastline with a long history of oil spills. To fund the creation of this unit, P&G donated 10 cents from every bottle of Dawn sold in Australia during a series of campaigns.

Rescate Magistral



Rescate Magistral was a campaign in Argentina with two aims: to rescue oiled penguins and raise awareness of the plight of these penguins. The campaign was launched by P&G and two NGOs specialized in penguin protection: Fundacion Patagonia Natural and Fundacion Mundo Marino. In 2005, 250 P&G employees and their families participated in the rescue and release of 25 cleaned penguins. A further 50 volunteers were trained on bird rescue techniques in preparation for any future oil spills. A large school education programme was carried out in Buenos Aires and Patagonia provinces.

See the Fundacion Mundo Marino site: Here
See the awareness raising commercial: Here

The Canadian Oiled Wildlife Rescue Academy

The Canadian Oiled Wildlife Rescue Academy (COWRA) was launched in 2005 as a three-year partnership between P&G and the Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research (TSBRR), a private, non-profit wildlife rehabilitation organization. The mandate of the Academy is to prepare wildlife rescue teams, including wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians and others, for future interactions with oiled wildlife in the event of oil spills. During the three year partnership, the Academy hosted a series of training sessions across Canada. Led by the TSBRR, the sessions are designed to educate Canadian wildlife rehabilitators on the effects of oil spills, the appropriate response plan and how to work as part of a team to save the affected wildlife. More than 70 rehabilitators have been trained at COWRA.

See TSBRR website: Here