WILDLIFE INFORMATION:
ORPHANED WILDLIFE
Each Spring the Animal Control Department is flooded with questions concerning suspected orphaned wildlife. Most of the time the animal is indeed not orphaned.
Leave the animal alone if:
The parent is nearby. Parents rarely abandon healthy offspring. It is natural for some species to leave their young for several hours while foraging for food.
The animal is fat, bright-eyed, appears healthy, and is not in any apparent danger. Parents have strong self-preservation instincts. Observation may be necessary to determine if the animal really needs to be rescued. Hours spent watching may prevent the animal from having to spend days or weeks at a rehabilitation facility. People must watch from a hiding place at some distance from the young animal so that the baby and parent are not frightened. pets and children need to be physically prevented from gaining access to the reunion site.
Intervention is indicated if:
The parent is known to be dead and the baby is too young to be on its own.
The animal is weak, thin, cold, or appears to act sick in some way.
The animal is injured in any way, including dog or cat bite, hit by car.
There are flies or insects on or around the animal.
Emergency care advice until the animal can be taken to a proper wildlife facility:
More wild animals die from the stress associated with capture and captivity than from any other single factor. Keep the animal as quiet, warm, and free from stress as possible.
Keep the animal in a secure box equipped with air holes. Provide a clean ravel free cloth for the young mammal to hide in. Young mammals or nestling birds should be kept warm with either a hot water bottle or a tightly capped jar of warm water wrapped in a sock (16 oz. soda bottles work well). Make sure the bottle or jar is wedged inside the box to prevent it from rolling around. Place the box in a warm, dark, quiet place until it can be transported.
DO NOT FEED OR WATER THE ANIMAL. Inexperience can be fatal.
Do not use green grass for bedding for any kind of animal as the dampness could contribute to pneumonia.
USE GLOVES AT ALL TIMES WHEN HANDLING THE ANIMAL. Sick animals may try to bite or scratch as this is their natural behavior in defending themselves.
Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator located at the website listed below. It is against the law to keep and raise a wild animal unless you are licensed to do so in the state of Massachusetts
Wild Birds Tips:
Wild birds are extremely difficult to raise properly in captivity and is also illegal to do without a state and federal permit. Birds have a 25% chance of a successful reunion with the parent in the wild if great attempts at reunion with the bird family are made compared to a 10% survival rate in captivity for newly hatched birds.
Nestling out of nest:
If the bird is cold to the touch, warm it by gently holding it in your hands. When warm, replace it in the nest if possible.
Nestling and nest down:
Using heavy twine, tie the nest back up into the tree in about the same place if possible.
If the nest is destroyed, a new one can be made out of a margarine tub (or container of similar size) Line the new nest with dry, soft materials such as dryer lint, dry leaves, or shredded paper towels. Do not use fresh grass, mud, or cotton, as birds claws can get caught in these materials. Drainage holes should be placed in the bottom of the new nest. Tie the new nest in the tree nearest to where the original was thought to have been and observe for at least two hours from a distance.
Fledgling or brancher (feathered juvenile learning to fly):
These birds need outdoor practice of their flying skills. Often birds fledge or jump out of the nest a few days before they can fly. The parents, at that point, will continue to feed and protect them wherever they end up until they can fly.
Leave the fledgling alone. Keep pets and children away and the fledgling will fly away in a few days.
Contacts for Rehabilitators:
New England Wildlife Center (781) 749-1248
Wild Again Inc. (508) 279-1444
Needham Science Center (781) 455-0475
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