Kildare wildlife experts called in after oil spill from Bank of Ireland site

Bank of Ireland has apologised after a “really heavy” oil spill at a park in south Dublin.

A family of swans were removed from the park by an animal charity which described the oil pollution incident as one of the worst it has attended.

Kildare Wildlife Rescue (KWR) said it removed four cygnets and two adult swans from Kilbogget Park near Cabinteely in south Dublin on Wednesday.

KWR’s rescue co-ordinator Pearse Stokes said the charity had attended a “really heavy” oil spill at what he described as a “jewel in the crown” for south Dublin biodiversity.

“I have been a wildlife first responder for 12 years and it is the worst fumes I have encountered on an oil spill, and we get a lot of them, but this was really heavy,” Mr Stokes said.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said booms and pads have been installed to absorb the pollution.

“Swans were removed with the help of local (council) staff, Kildare Wildlife Rescue and volunteers and are currently in the care of Kildare Wildlife Rescue,” it added.

It said council staff would visit the park over the weekend to monitor the situation and encouraged people walking their dogs in the park to keep them on leads.

A spokesman for Bank of Ireland said: “We have been engaged with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCOCO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in relation to a spillage at one of our sites in Cabinteely.

“Action was immediately taken to contain the incident, and no further pollution has been identified.

“We would like to sincerely apologise to the local community for the impact caused. We will continue to engage fully with DLRCOCO and the EPA over the coming period.”

Local councillor Dave O’Keeffe said the clean-up is estimated to cost tens of thousands of euros and the council should not foot the bill.

“An apology is fine but this is going to cost tens of thousands, if not more, to rectify,” he told PA.

“There is environmental damage done, there has already been a lot of money spent on the actual clean up.

“Kilbogget was turning into a great place for biodiversity. We had wild otters there, which is really rare, there was a lot of diversity of species and that’s all been put in jeopardy now.

“There’s a financial cost to this, but there’s an awful lot more that needs to be done to make sure it gets back to there in the long term.

“I don’t expect the council or the local people to foot that bill.”

He said he would not walk a dog in the park this weekend and monitor the progress of the clean up after that.

“Even yesterday the smell of diesel was still quite strong,” he said.

“It was still in a pretty bad condition yesterday and speaking to some of the guys from Kildare Wildlife, they weren’t sure when or if the swans could ever be brought back.”

The incident is the second oil spill Kildare Wildlife Rescue has responded to in the past few days.

It removed another family of swans after an oil spill at ponds in a park in Kilminchy in Portlaoise, Co Laois last weekend.

Mr Stokes said the heat made conditions for rescuing wildlife particularly complex.

“Rescuing wildlife is very difficult. Rescuing oiled wildlife is additionally difficult because you need to wear PPE, like facemasks and gowns, to protect yourself from the contaminates,” Mr Stokes told RTE Radio.

“Working in the high heat that we had last weekend… also comes the added complication where the oil and the water is evaporating and becoming quite toxic fumes for people, so it is a public safety concern as well as a concern for the first responders and the wildlife.”

He said swans cannot be released until the spills are cleared up, and if they are released at another location they will fly back to their original home and risk being exposed to oil again.

He said there were risks in keeping them at the centre and near humans for too long, as they can become stressed.

Laois County Council said it received a complaint on July 10 of an oil spill/pollution incident at Kilminchy Lake.

Staff from the council’s environmental unit went to the site on July 11, and a clean-up has been under way since then “so that the local wildlife can be returned to its habitat”.

“In tandem with this, the environment team is investigating the source of the leakage via sampling and engaging locally,” it said.

“Sampling is ongoing and no further discharge of pollutant has been noted. Investigations are still under way to ascertain the cause of the incident.

“Laois County Council is making all efforts to resolve any issues arising, so to ensure that the lakes are a safe habitat for wildlife and a suitable amenity for the public to enjoy.”