What to do if you find a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal

Tag : wash leather
By Kate Adams
BayToday.ca
Thursday, July 17, 2008
MNR News Release

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If you find juvenile wildlife that appears to be orphaned, sick orinjured, avoid contact to prevent bites and scratches. Some speciescan carry diseases and parasites that are harmful to humans.

Injured wildlife also requires specialized and immediate care torecover and return to the wild.

Signs of orphaning, injury or illness may include:
" Blood, wounds or swelling on the body
" Lethargy
" Body covered in fleas
" Unusual or uneven loss of fur or feathers
" Vocalizing and/or following humans around
" A fawn that is wandering around
" Contact with a domestic cat

- Difficult or raspy breathing or sneezing
- A dangling leg or wing
- Closed eyes
- Head tucked under wing

Orphaned Wildlife

It is normal for some species to leave their offspring temporarilyalone, especially during the day.

For example, deer and cottontail rabbits spend much of the day awayfrom their well-camouflaged offspring to minimize the chance ofpredators finding them.

To determine if young wildlife is truly orphaned:

▪ Check the animal periodically for 24 to 48 hours to see ifit is still around, but keep your distance.

▪ Keep cats and dogs away from the area where the younganimal is; the adult will not return if it is noisy or if predatorsor people are close by.

Care Necessary To Help The Animal
▪ If you find an injured, sick or orphaned wild animal,contact a wildlife custodian who can provide the specialized andimmediate care necessary to help the animal.

▪ If you must handle it, seek the advice of a wildlifecustodian to minimize risk of injury to yourself and to the animal.

▪ Wear protective clothing and equipment, such as leathergloves, to avoid bites or scratches, and wash hands well afterhandling the animal.

▪ Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, a person mayonly keep wildlife for 24 hours to transport it to a veterinarianfor treatment or to a wildlife custodian for rehabilitation or careor to relocate it following capture as a problem animal.

Contact information:
▪ Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network(OWREN):
- call 905-735-9556, or
- contact info@owren-online.org
- visit www.owren-online.org

▪ Local Humane Society or local branch of the Ontario Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA):

- call 1-888-668-7722 or the Ontario SPCA Wildlife RehabilitationCentre at 705-534-4350
- visit http://ontariospca.ca/.

Diseased or Dead Wildlife
▪ If you suspect there is a public health risk from a sickwild animal, such as rabies, or you or your pet had contact with asuspected rabid animal, contact your local Public Health Unitimmediately.

▪ Rabies is fatal for humans and animals if not treated.

▪ Symptoms of rabies and several other diseases in animalscan include tremors, aggressive behaviour, partial paralysis,convulsions, and loss of fear of humans.

▪ To report a dead crow, raven or blue jay, contact yourlocal Public Health Unit.

▪ To report other dead animals or birds contact the CanadianCooperative Wildlife Health Centre(http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtm).

Wild animals that have been live-trapped or acquired by other meansmust be released no further than one kilometre from the point ofcapture for adults and no further than 15 kilometres for juveniles(although not on private property without landowners permission)and within 24 hours.

Contact Information:
" Public Health Units:
o call 1-866-532-3161 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday toFriday
o visitwww.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/phu/phuloc_mn.html fora list of offices.

" Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre:
o call 1-866-673-4781
o visit http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml.

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