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Wildlife
Rehabilitation
What
is wildlife rehabilitation?
Wildlife
rehabilitation is the medical treatment and
general care of injured or orphaned animals
in hopes of returning these animals back to
the wild. It is
illegal for the general public to try to rehabilitate
wild animals,
and wildlife should never be kept as
"pets". Rehabilitation
centers and rehabilitators with permits are
properly equipped to care for these animals.
The average human tends to have strong desire
to want to care for injured animals, and even
keep them. Please remember, it is always in
the animals best interest to be cared for properly
by people who have been trained to do so.
Orphaned
Albino White-tail Deer Spring 2003
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What
should I do if I find a mammal?
1.
Decide if the mammal is injured.
If the mammal has any obvious injuries please
contact the DNR hotline to find a licensed
rehabilitator. The mammal will need immediate
medical attention and may not survive on its
own in the wild.
2.
If the mammal is not injured try to determine
the age of the mammal.
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Juvenile mammals are often found on their
own and mistaken for abandoned. In many
cases juvenile mammals will explore their
surroundings and search for food alone although
mom and dad are usually not far off.
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If you find a mammal that is getting around
fairly well and has its eyes open leave
it alone for 3-4 hours and most likely the
parents will retrieve the juvenile.
-
If the parents do not come and find the
juvenile and it has been in the same spot
for more than 5 hours, call the DNR hotline
to find a licensed rehabilitator.
| Infants |
Infant
Weasels |
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Infants are usually characterized by having
their eyes closed and are much smaller than
juvenile and adult mammals. If orphaned
animals are disturbed or fall out of their
nests they should be placed back into their
nests.
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It
is a myth that if the infant is touched
and placed back in the nest the parents
will not take care of it.
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For squirrels place them back in their nests
if uninjured. Rabbits can also be placed
back in their nests. Replace nesting material
and infants and cover with grass.
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If the nests have been damaged severely
or can not be found call the DNR hotline
to find a licensed rehabilitator.
SPECIAL
MENTION!!
Mammals can be very dangerous.
If you are dealing with an injured adult mammal
they may be very stressed and in pain. They
will most likely believe your care is a threat
to their life. Take all precautions before
you approach the animal and call the DNR hotline
before attempting to transport this animal.
Remember even young mammals will bite if they
believe they are threatened.
3.
Calling the appropriate people.
Contact the DNR hotline to find a licensed rehabilitator
and to find out any additional information about
your situation. A time to have the animal dropped
will be determined and any transporting instructions
will be given.
4.
Do not feed the mammal.
Many people believe it is in the mammal’s
best interest to have food. BUT handling the
animal can stress make it stressed and the
wrong kinds of food can cause more problems.
5.
Transporting the animal.
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Transporting
animals can be a very stressful experience for both
you and the animals. Many birds and mammals die from
too much stress.
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To
decrease stress, place the bird or mammal in a secure
container. (Cardboard box, or pet carrier) Make sure
the container has holes for air to flow in. Place a
towel over the box to keep the animal in the dark.
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While
in the car do not use air conditioning and leave the
radio off.
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Remember
that human contact and noise will stress the animal
more. By following these tips the animal has a better
chance of surviving and later being released
Please
contact the Department of Natural Resources Information
Center at
1-800-766-6000 to find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator
in your area.
What
should I do if I find a bird?
1.
Decide if the bird is injured.
If the bird has any obvious injuries please
contact the DNR hotline. The bird will need
immediate medical attention and may not survive
on its own in the wild.
2.
If the bird is not injured try to determine
the age of the bird.
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Many fledglings are mistake for orphaned
birds and brought in to be rehabilitated.
Although we can take pretty good care of
orphans that come in, nothing beats the
care a bird receives from its parent. Fledglings
are birds that look like they are still
babies but have most of their feathers.
They are often found hopping around in the
grass alone and people mistake them for
being abandoned. Most of the time the parents
of the fledgling are not far off and are
still keeping an eye on the fledgling.
-
Leave
the bird alone and make sure your family
dog or cat can’t get it. Most likely
the parents will come and retrieve the fledging
within a couple hours.
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If
the fledgling is still there after four
or five hours call the DNR hotline to find
a licensed rehabilitator.
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Nestlings are birds that have been just
recently hatched and tend to have no feathers.
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If you see where the nestling has fallen
from and the nest is not damaged or in any
danger, place the bird back in the nest.
Leave the nest alone and the parents will
most likely come back and take care of the
nestling.
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If the nest can not be found call the DNR
hotline to find a licensed rehabilitator.
3.
Calling the appropriate people.
Injured
Woodcock
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Many
people believe it is in the bird’s best interest to
have food. BUT handling can stress the bird and the wrong
kinds of food can cause more problems.
5.
Transporting the animal.
Transporting
animals can be a very stressful experience for both you
and the animals. Many birds and mammals can die from too
much stress.
To
decrease stress, place the bird or mammal in a secure container.
(Cardboard box, or pet carrier) Make sure the container
has holes for air to flow in. Place a towel over the box
to keep the animal in the dark.
While in the car do not use air conditioning and leave the
radio off.
Remember that human contact and noise will stress the animal
more. By following these tips the animal has a better chance
of surviving and later being released.
What
should I do if I find a nest?
1.
If it is in a safe place, leave it alone.
2.
What to do if you are cutting down the tree or doing construction.
It
is easy to run into nest during the summer while everyone
is doing house repairs or yard work. When you to run into
a nest the best thing to do it to hold off on cutting
the tree or repairing that building. Although it may put
you behind on your schedule, birds hatch and leave the
nest relatively quickly. If the nest is moved they will
most likely not survive.
Are
there any animals the Audubon Center of the North Woods
or other rehabilitation facilities will not rehabilitate?
Because
we are a public facility we are unable to rehabilitate
some animals that can carry many diseases. Due to the
fact our rehabilitation area is restricted in size; we
may not be able to take all animals that people find.
Some larger animals we may not have adequate space to
hold. However, please call and we may be able to make
alternative arrangements with other rehabilitators.
Animals
we are unable to rehabilitate are:
Raccoons:
Raccoons are very smart and important creatures. However,
they can carry many diseases which can be transferred
to humans and our domesticated pets. Some examples
of diseases raccoons can carry include raccoon round
worm, distemper, and rabies. Because of the large
number of people that visit the Audubon Center of
the North Woods, we do not house these animals.
Skunks:
Skunks can also carry diseases such as rabies but
we also do not rehabilitate these animals for an obvious
reason. Skunks can create an odor problem. The Audubon
Center has many human visitors throughout the year
and visitors and an odor problem don’t tend
to mix well.
Facts
and Myths about Rehabilitation
Myth:
If I touch an orphaned animal the parents will not care
for it.
Fact:
Many times orphaned animals will not get cared for when
they are put back into the nest because people will not
leave the nest alone. The adults will not come back if
there is too much contact by people. Most animals have
no problem taking care of their babies after they have
been handled, as long as they don’t feel the nest
is a danger to their own well being.
Myth:
Orphaned animals should be comforted.
Fact:
Contact by humans is one of the most stressful things
an orphaned animal can go through. Many animals can die
from stress so it is best to reduce contact while transferring
animals. Place them in a secure, quiet, and dark space.
They will have more chance of surviving if these precautions
are taken.
Myth:
If parents are scared away from their babies they will
not come back and care for them.
Fact:
Many animals will return to their offspring once the threat
has left. Even if the threat persists many mammals will
come back and move their young to a safer location. You
can decrease the chances of young getting abandoned by
watching from afar. Everyone likes to see babies in the
spring but remember to watch from a distance so those
babies have a better chance of surviving.
Myth:
"I can take care of a wild animal and it will do
just fine"
Fact:
There are rules about who can hold and rehabilitate wild
animals. Rehabilitators must be guided by a master rehabilitator,
take rehabilitation tests, hold special permits, and have
their facilities inspected. It
is illegal for the general public to try to rehabilitate
wild animals.
Also, rehabilitation centers and rehabilitators with permits
are much better equipped to care for these animals. It
is in the animals best interest to be cared for properly
by people who have been trained to do so.
Please
contact the Department of Natural Resources Information
Center at
1-800-766-6000 to find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator
in your area.
Volunteers
Needed!
Would
you like to help injured/orphaned animals? I am currently
looking for people willing to help serve on a Wildlife
Rescue Transport Team. Many of the injured animals
we receive at the Audubon Center of the North Woods must be
transferred to larger facilities in the Twin Cities. I am
looking for volunteers willing to drive these animals to places
like The Raptor Center. If you are interested in volunteering
for this, or if you have any questions, please contact Jeff
at 320-245-2648 or email at jtyson@audubon-center.org
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