Latest news with #KildareWildlifeRescue
The Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Bank of Ireland donates €10,000 to wildlife charity in Kildare after oil spill in Dublin Park
BANK OF IRELAND has donated €10,000 to a wildlife rehabilitation charity in Kildare following a 'really heavy' oil spill at a park in south Dublin last week. Kildare Wildlife Rescue (KWR) said the incident in Kilbogget Park near Cabinteely in south Dublin last Wednesday was one of the worst oil pollution incidents it had attended. The charity described it as a 'really heavy' oil spill and it removed four cygnets and two adult swans from Kilbogget Park. The family of swans continues to be cared for by KWR, however, one of the cygnets died over the weekend. KWR said it has been informed by Bank of Ireland that the source of the oil spill was a spillage during a delivery of diesel to its nearby data centre. The Journal / YouTube Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said last week 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. A spokesman for Bank of Ireland said at the time that it has engaged with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the Environmental Protection Agency in relation to the oil spill and it 'sincerely apologised to the local community'. 'Action was immediately taken to contain the incident, and no further pollution has been identified,' said the spokesperson, who added that Bank of Ireland would continue to 'fully engage' with authorities over the coming period. Advertisement In a statement today, KWR welcomed the €10,000 donation from Bank Of Ireland. On Monday afternoon, the charity said it was contacted by Bank Of Ireland with an offer of a donation of €10,000. KWR founder and manager Dan Donoher said the charity was 'very grateful for the donation'. It will go towards the costs of the rescue and rehabilitation of the swan family, along with the hundreds of other animals cared for at KWR's wildlife hospital. He added: 'Rehabilitating oiled birds is a complex process which involves numerous steps including building up strength before the stressful process of washing can begin. 'Unfortunately one of the cygnets from Kilbogget Park was badly affected and did not make it but we continue to care for the rest of their family and are hoping for a full recovery.' Meanwhile, Donoher said the centre relies 'almost entirely on donations from the public to carry out its work, which last year responded to over 8,800 cases of wildlife in distress' 'We continue to appeal to companies and the public to help us in our ongoing fundraising efforts and we are always in need of volunteers,' he added. Donoher said KWR is continuing to monitor remaining wildlife at Kilbogget Park and at the location of another recent oil spill in Kilminchy in Portlaoise from where another swan family had to be taken into care. Unsure of what exactly is happening with the earth's climate? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
BreakingNews.ie
18-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Bank of Ireland apologises after oil spill at Dublin park
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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 RTÉ Radio. Ireland More than 900 speeding fines revoked following 'hu... Read More '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.
RTÉ News
18-07-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Bank of Ireland apologises over oil spill at Dublin site
Bank of Ireland has said that it sincerely apologises for an oil spill at one of its sites in south Dublin, which impacted a number of animals at a public park. The diesel spill was detected at the bank's data centre in Cabinteely. The spill contaminated a lake in Kilbogget Park in the area. An assessment carried out on 16 July discovered diesel oil on the water, which was emitting strong fumes. A family of swans with four cygnets were rescued at the location; volunteers continue to try to rescue other water birds from the area. A spokesperson for Bank of Ireland said that it engaged with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in relation to the spill. "We would like to sincerely apologise to the local community for the impact caused," the spokesperson said. The EPA said that it was contacted by the bank yesterday about the oil spill, which happened following a delivery of fuel. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has said that booms and pads have been installed at the Kilbogget Park site to absorb the oil spill. The spokesperson said that the booms and pads will be replaced regularly while the oil is there. Animal rescue efforts also took place in Laois following a separate oil spill this week. Kildare Wildlife Rescue was alerted to an incident in the Kilminchy area of Portlaoise on 11 July, where severe oil pollution had affected three connected lakes in a residential area. The incident impacted a range of wildlife, including a family of swans with four cygnets along with several mallards, moorhens, coots, cormorants and herons. KWR had an emergency response team bring the swans to safety. KWR Rescue Coordinator Pearse Stokes, who has attended numerous oil spills, said the fumes were among the strongest he had experienced. "The site at Kilbogget Park had the most intense fumes that I have ever encountered in any oiled wildlife response. This is not just concerning for the wildlife affected, but also a public safety concern for people and their pets walking and exercising in the park. "This is a beautiful park with rich biodiversity and the impact of the oil will be severe on the wildlife in the area." Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, he said: "Rescuing oiled wildlife is additionally difficult because you need to wear PPE like facemasks and gowns to protect yourself from the contaminates and working then in the high heat that we had last weekend. "And with that heat also comes an added complication where the oil in the water is evaporating and becoming quite toxic fumes for people so it's a kind of public safety concern, as well as a concern for the safety of our first responders and the wildlife." Mr Stokes said the rescue team gathered up the swan family that lives on that particular pond and brought them to Kildare Wildlife Rescue. "We are all quietly very hopeful for both sets of swan families" that have been rescued, he said. He said a few days later when they responded to the second oil spill in south Dublin, he experienced "the worst fumes" he ever encountered on an oil spill. "We get a lot of them, but this was really, really heavy in the air and you couldn't really spend too long in there just because of the smell." He said they will continue to monitor both sites and pick up any animals that are sick and need to be taken into care. While the swan family from Laois are washed and stable, the charity said that the swans in Kilbogget are still undergoing treatment. An adult female is the most affected and is receiving intensive care from the Village Vets Greyabbey. The rehabilitation of oiled birds can be a difficult process, according to KWR Manager Dan Donoher. "The birds need to first be stabilised, warmed and given fluid therapy," he said. "Washing can never be done on the same day, they need to be strong and pass multiple health checks before the stressful washing process begins." He said that both swam families will remain in their care until their territories are clean and safe again. KWR currently has over 400 animals in its rehabilitation centre. While the source of the spill in Laois remains unknown, local county councils have begun clean-up operations and opened investigations into a potential cause. KWR thanked Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Laois County Council for their support with the rescue efforts.
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Emergency response team called to rescue birds from two inland oil spills just days apart
A wildlife charity has responded to the aftermath of two oil spills, carrying out emergency operations to rescue birds in Laois and Dublin. Kildare Wildlife Rescue (KWR) responded last Friday to an oil spill in Kilminchy, Portlaoise, where severe oil pollution affected three connected lakes in a residential area. A family of swans, with four cygnets, along with ducks and other birds were affected. The emergency response team took the swans to safety and said 'the process of cleaning and rehabilitating them has begun.' Five days later, the team was alerted to a second oil spill in Kilbogget Park near Cabinteely, South Dublin. READ MORE An initial assessment following the spill on Wednesday found diesel oil on the water, which was emitting strong fumes. A severely oiled swan was rescued from Kilbogget Park, Dublin. Photograph: Kildare Wildlife Rescue Another family of swans, along with four cygnets, were rescued the following day. Volunteers have been trying to rescue other water birds from the area. 'Both swan families will have to remain in our care until their territories are clean and safe again. We hope the oil can be cleaned up soon so that the families can return home,' KWR manager Dan Donoher said. A cygnet is washed following an oil spill in Kilminchy. Photograph: Kildare Wildlife Rescue Rescue co-ordinator for KWR, Pearse Stokes, said while oil spills were 'very common' in Ireland, these were different as 'the amount of oil or contaminant is considerable'. 'This is very intense, and particularly Kilbogget Park. Just walking through that park you could smell the fumes', he said. He said it was 'great to see so many members of the public reaching out to us' regarding the oil spills. KWR said the sources of the spills were unknown and were being investigated by the local authorities. Mr Stoke said both county councils 'were on site pretty quick. They've put in the various mitigation measures to try and remove some of this oil'. Laois County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have been contacted for comment.
