Over 250 oiled birds are now being cared for at the Mount Manganui Wildlife Response Centre

The Mount Manganui Wildlife Response Centre now has 253 birds in care including petrels, shags, penguins and shearwaters plus 3 seals. Approximately 1300 birds have not survived. When the birds are brought into the centre they are assessed by vets and ornithologists to single out those which are physically strong enough to survive. The oil is too thick to remove by simply scrubbing. They are first bathed in warm canola oil which breaks down the fuel oil, then washed in warm detergent. The birds take about 5 days to preen the detergent from their bodies but they will have to be held in the wildlife centre for several months until their natural habitats have been cleaned of the oil.
A group of Hawke's Bay residents have knitted tiny woolly penguin pyjamas! These will be put on oil smeared Little Blue penguins to prevent them preening before their feathers have been washed free of the oil.

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Back on the Rena, 88 containers have been lost overboard with 30 of these unaccounted for. Many of the remaining containers are in a precarious position and more are expected to be lost. Heavy seas have forced salvation efforts to cease and increased fear of the ship breaking apart.

Katie Cox captured exclusive close-up images 

of the grounded Rena off the coast of Tauranga.