The Effects Of Oil On Wildlife Conference (EOW) - Oct 13-17, 2025

The Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference (EOW) © Dan Callister/Penguins & Sharks

The Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference (EOW) is an international event that brings together researchers, conservationists, policymakers, and stakeholders to address the impact of oil spills on wildlife. It is the only global event that focuses on the planning, response, rehabilitation, release and research aspects of oil spills and their effects on wildlife. EOW aims to foster collaboration, share knowledge and exchange ideas to advance the field of oiled wildlife preparedness and response. 

This year, the EOW will be hosted at The President hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, which presents a great opportunity to engage individuals, agencies, and organizations in that region to participate in the conference which shines a spotlight on the Host Organization – The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). 

The first theme of this EOW will be the 25th Anniversary of the MV Treasure Oil Spill, the largest animal rescue effort in the world, where over 20,000 African Penguins were cleaned, rehabilitated and released while an additional 20,000 penguins were pre-emptively captured to prevent oil exposure. In fact, more penguins were cared for during the Treasure spill than exist in the wild today. Considering that fact, think about the impact those responders made on an entire species population by banding together to achieve the impossible.

The plight of the African Penguin provides the second theme: the Conservation of African Penguins.  This species was recently uplisted to critically endangered status by the IUCN following a 97% decline and could be extinct within the next ten years.

The final theme, which encompasses the history of the Treasure Spill and current extinction threats to African Penguins, is International Collaboration. Were it not for the heroic efforts of International Bird Rescue, International Fund for Animal Welfare, SANCCOB, and others, stepping up to the challenge of managing the world's largest animal rescue, we might not have African Penguins in the wild today. The conference aims to highlight the Global Oiled Wildlife Response System (GOWRS) network and their efforts to adopt a strategy to address global oiled wildlife response and preparedness around the world.