A collared kingfisher was found slicked in oil at Marina Keppel Bay on Jun. 15, after an oil spill reached various parts of Singapore's coastline following an allision between two ships near Pasir Panjang Terminal on Jun. 14 afternoon.

This is what a collared kingfisher looks like:

Here's the kingfisher's state when it was found:

Kalai Vanan, co-CEO of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), told Mothership that the kingfisher was found in the Marina Keppel Bay area.

A member of the public brought it to Acres at around 2:30pm on Jun. 15, when Acres' team was trying to find ways to help another affected bird in Lazarus Island prior to the discovery.

Alive and doing well, cleaning in progress

Fortunately, the kingfisher is alive and well.

Kalai shared that it could not move much when it was found as it was drenched in oil, and also appeared to be highly distressed.

He added that his team is currently carrying out a cleaning process for the bird.

"Such cleaning can't be done in one go, we do it in stages," Kalai said.

On the day of rescue,  the team at Acres spent 30 minutes to help clean the rescued kingfisher.

He noted that the bird may also be affected by stress from the cleaning process.

"Birds can also lose their feather's water-proofing abilities in the process. This may lengthen the time needed for them to recover which is not ideal."

Oil spill "worrying"

Kalai expressed his concern about the oil spill incident, stating that it is "worrying" because Singapore is an island nation with a rich biodiversity.

Here's another kingfisher that was found to be covered in oil and has been rescued by the National Parks Board (NParks):

"This was definitely unexpected and many of the coastal areas most affected like Sentosa, Labrador and East Coast are home to many marine wildlife," he added.

He also expressed hope for the situation to be "contained quickly" as Acres has seen images of birds stranded and otters licking themselves to clean the oil off.

"The tragic effects on oil spill and how it affects wildlife is well documented. However, it has occurred and we are ready to help where we can."

According to Kalai Vanan, Acres had received calls by members of the public to report on animals being covered in oil and messages expressing interest to help in rescue efforts.

If you encounter any oil-slicked animal, you can contact NParks' 24h Animal Response Centre at 1800 476 1600.

Acres is also ready to assist and you can call them at 9783 7782 (avoid 1am-7am).

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Top photo by Acres