A bot for reporting injured birds has been created in Tuapse.
Tuapse residents are asked to report oil-contaminated birds spotted on the coast to a special Telegram bot. Volunteers have also asked for help rescuing an injured dolphin.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," sections of the Black Sea coast near Tuapse contaminated by oil products from the local oil refinery are being cleaned unevenly. Active work is being carried out near urban infrastructure, but remote and "wild" beaches are being neglected, local residents and volunteers stated. The "Right to Life" animal rescue center operates at the "Morskaya" recreation center in Shepsi, where injured animals and birds are being taken.
On May 1, a fire broke out at the Tuapse sea terminal after a drone attack. It was extinguished on May 2. This fire was the fourth in Tuapse since April 16. Earlier, on April 24, after booms broke due to rising water levels in the Tuapse River, an oil spill occurred into the Black Sea. A series of attacks on Tuapse's oil infrastructure has led to environmental consequences, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Fires and "oil rains": the main news about the environmental disaster in Tuapse".
Volunteers helping birds affected by the fuel oil spill in Tuapse have not found any new birds soiled with oil products on the beaches over the past two days, the "Chronicles of the Spill" Telegram channel reported today.
They called on residents of the Tuapse District to report birds in need of help. Volunteers have created a special Telegram bot to receive such messages, accessible at @pticelov_bot. They also reminded residents that birds are accepted at 30 Vesennaya Street after a preliminary phone call (+79933181669).
"The shelter center has acquired an experienced bird washer who can assist if needed," the publication notes. Among the last birds the volunteers helped was an owl, which was sent to a rehabilitation center in Anapa on May 7. An injured loon was also admitted to the shelter center, but it died.
Staff from the Delfa Scientific and Ecological Dolphin Rescue Center also appealed to residents of the Tuapse District for help. They posted a video of a dolphin in need of help near Kiseleva Rock. "An exhausted, sick, and injured white-sided dolphin. The location is extremely difficult to access—it's impossible to reach with equipment and everything necessary," the center reported on its Telegram channel.
Volunteers are searching for a boat, SUPs, and other means of access to the rock. They plan to move the dolphin to a more accessible location to provide assistance.
The environmental project "Transparent World" today published an analysis of a satellite image of the waters near Tuapse taken on May 6. "Elongated patches and muddy streaks are visible along the coast near Tuapse and further south. The most noticeable traces are visible opposite the port and the city beach, as well as further down the coastline toward Gizel-Dere, Dederkoy, Shepsi, and Magri," the publication states.
A regional state of emergency is in effect throughout the entire Tuapse District. For information on emergency assessment criteria, response levels, structures, and resources for dealing with the consequences, please see the Caucasian Knot's "Emergency Situation Regime" (EMERGENCY SITUATION) page.
Caucasian Knot has compiled materials on the "Eco-Disaster in Kuban" page.