Mimico Creek Ducks Return Home

How one North York wildlife charity rescued more than 100 oil-slicked waterfowl.

By Sarah Duong • Images courtesy of the Toronto Wildlife Centre

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An oil-covered duck is seen wading through Mimico Creek after a truck rollover last Monday. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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An oil-covered duck is seen wading through Mimico Creek after a truck rollover last Monday. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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A little ducky that has been rescued and cleaned. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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A little ducky that has been rescued and cleaned. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Ducks wait for transport after being rescued from Mimico Creek. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Ducks wait for transport after being rescued from Mimico Creek. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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An oily duck. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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An oily duck. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Toronto Wildlife Centre employees work together to clean an oily duck. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Toronto Wildlife Centre employees work together to clean an oily duck. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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All finished! A TWC employee dries off a freshly cleaned duck. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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All finished! A TWC employee dries off a freshly cleaned duck. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Oiled ducks are released at the mouth of the Humber River. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Oiled ducks are released at the mouth of the Humber River. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Oiled ducks are released at the mouth of the Humber River. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Oiled ducks are released at the mouth of the Humber River. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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An oily duck being cleaned. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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An oily duck being cleaned. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Courtesy of the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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Courtesy of the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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A TWC employee is seen rescuing ducks from a contaminated creek. TWC workers and numerous volunteers aid in rescuing oil-covered ducks. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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A TWC employee is seen rescuing ducks from a contaminated creek. TWC workers and numerous volunteers aid in rescuing oil-covered ducks. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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TWC employees search for ducks and other wildlife in need of care. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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TWC employees search for ducks and other wildlife in need of care. Courtesy of Toronto Wildlife Centre.

It’s been a week since a truck rolled over on Highway 427, spilling nearly 6,000 litres of mineral oil onto the road and contaminating nearby Mimico Creek. Though there have been a few animal fatalities since last Monday’s event, employees at North York’s Toronto Wildlife Centre have been able to rescue more than 100 ducks in the calamity. Not half-bad in the wake of the biggest oil spill TWC spokesperson Julia Pietrus has seen in the eight years she’s worked there.

“There are oil spills of various magnitudes every year,” said Pietrus. “Prior to this, 20 geese was the most we rescued [at one time]. There was also a family of nine swans; last year, we rescued four to five geese.”

The TWC is a registered charity funded primarily from donations, and is operated by a small group of staff and several hundred volunteers across the city. With assistance from everyday citizens (who called in sightings of oil-covered wildlife) and numerous volunteers helping with day-to-day tasks, employees in last week’s rescue launch said they had saved approximately 101 ducks and two sandpipers by Friday.

The TWC has received various donations from private citizens and corporations, including towels and Dawn dish soap (which workers then used to wash the dirty little duckies) from Procter and Gamble. The first dozen of ducks were released Thursday afternoon at the mouth of the Humber River, with more released in the following days.