Northern Fulmar: SB Wildlife Care Network’s Patient of the Week

Patient #365 of 2021: Northern Fulmar

Status: Released

Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network said a special farewell to Northern fulmar patient #94. When this bird arrived almost two months ago, it was severely dehydrated, emaciated, and anemic – most likely due to a viral infection that’s common in fulmars.

Thanks to plenty of food, antibiotics, and supportive care from our expert animal care team, this patient made a full recovery! The team released it into the Santa Barbara Channel, where it eagerly hopped back into the sea.

Northern fulmars are a pelagic species that can live up to 60 years, and will spend most of that time in the ocean. These birds are typically monogamous for life, but, unlike many other species, only produce one chick at a time. This makes every individual, like patient #94, especially important to the population.

SBWCN is currently constructing a state-of-the-art, 5,368 square-foot Wildlife Hospital. With a projected completion of 2022, this brand new building will provide the means to care for even more wildlife in need. One special feature of these facilities will be larger, more enhanced pools for seabirds. This means SBWCN will be able to care for even more pelagic species, like this fulmar.

If you’d like to support Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network’s new Wildlife Hospital, visit www.sbwcn.org/wildlifehospital.