Wildlife
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Wildlife & Science
Injured Wildlife
Orphaned Baby Animals
Do’s and don’ts of baby wildlife rescue
Just some general rules before taking
wildlife…
DO NOT:
- Disturb nests- if a human is constantly hanging around,
the parent will not return
- Take fawns- it is instinctive for a fawn to keep still
and a parent is probably close by watching you
- Touch or handle raccoons, foxes or skunks…these
are Rabies Vector Species and can possibly spread
disease
- Assume young birds on the ground are orphaned right away…
when birds are learning to fly, they spend a few days on
the ground practicing their flight. A parent is usually
nearby watching over the youngster and comes down periodically
to feed.
Before rescuing, make sure the animal
NEEDS your help
DO:
- Keep an eye on the young/nest – if the parent does
not return within a couple of hours to 24 hours (depending
on species), assume it is orphaned
- Watch for natural predators and move it to a safe place
if in danger (ex. Roaming neighborhood cats, traffic, etc)
- Place baby birds back into the original nest – if
the nest is unreachable or knocked down, make a fake nest
and place it in a nearby tree
- Place an X of sticks across a disturbed rabbit nest –
if a parent returns, the X will be removed from its position
within 24 hours…if the X is not disturbed, assume
the young are orphaned
If an animal DOES need to be rescued…
DO NOT:
- Allow children or pets to play with the animal –
animals carry disease and also stress very easily, causing
death in many species
- Give water – birds, in particular, will drown if
water is poured into their mouths
- Feed any food– not all birds eat worms! DO NOT
feed bread! DO NOT feed milk!
DO:
- Carefully place the animal in a box or paper bag (wear
gloves!) and place it in a dark, quiet place away from children
and pets
- Keep the animal warm
- Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator
as soon as possible: http://www.ct.gov/dep.
In the search box, type in: "injured wildlife"
(in quotation marks).
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