Office of Advancement, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Wildlife Medical Clinic

Information & Resources About Injured or Ophaned Wildlife

WMC WardInformation by species:

Birds of Prey
Reptiles/Amphibians
Songbirds
Shorebirds/Waterfowl
Mammals: Bats | Deer | Opposums | Rabbits | Raccoons | Skunks | Squirrels

Best Practices for Handling Wildlife

Legal Issues:

  1. Distressed wildlife must be placed under the care of an individual with a current state and/or state and federal permit. Call the Department of Natural Resources to find rehabilitators in your area.
  2. The Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service do not issue permits allowing wildlife to be kept as pets. It is illegal for anyone to possess a wild animal, a wild/domestic cross or a wild animal considered dangerous. It is illegal to give rabies vaccines to wildlife.
  3. Game permits allow the possession of domestic wild animals. These animals must be purchased from other individuals with game permits and sales receipts must be kept. Persons having game permits cannot take animals from the wild or be given animals from the wild.
  4. It is illegal for any individual, business or governmental agency to trap, possess, destroy, or relocate wildlife for any reason without obtaining a nuisance permit.

General Advice:

  1. All wild animals are potentially dangerous. Call for help if the animal is big or dangerous. Don't let yourself be scratched, bitten, or injured. It is not only bad for you but may cause the animal to be destroyed for rabies testing. All bites must be reported to the local public health department.
  2. High pitched sounds mean danger to most animals so lower your voice when trying to calm an animal. Always have a barrier between you and the animal.
  3. Never tower over an animal. Never stare them in the eye. Never put your face up to an animal or reach your hand in as a test to see if the animal will bite.
  4. Stress from handling and noises are the biggest killer of wildlife. Being captured is a terrifying experience. Place them in a warm, dark, quiet place to relieve their stress. Handle the animal as little as possible.
  5. Never let a child hold a wild animal, for the child's safety and the animal's safety. Even small bunnies can bite and little birds can peck.
  6. Injured animals can sometimes seem unconscious, too weak to move or even friendly; don't be fooled! Injured animals can suddenly get their second wind and you can end up seriously hurt.

When to rescue:

    1. When you know the parents are dead. They usually do not abandon their babies, however they do leave them for several hours while looking for food.
    2. When the animal is injured, weak, thin, very cold or sick.
    3. If the animal is covered with flies or insects.
    4. If the animal is in unavoidable, unnatural danger (not including normal predator-prey interactions).

When not to rescue:

    1. When the parent is nearby.
    2. If the animal is fat, bright eyed, healthy and not in immediate danger.
    3. Don't rescue baby bunnies if their eyes are open unless they are hurt or in danger. They have a better chance on their own than with humans.
    4. Don't rescue completely feathered baby birds that are only "branchers" just learning to fly- unless they are in danger from pets, people, or machinery.

It is not true that a wild mother will not take her babies back after they are touched by humans. They will take them back!

Additional Resources

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

U.S Fish and Wildlife Service

Wildlife Center of Virginia

University of Minnesota Raptor Center

Auburn University Raptor Center

Willowbrook Wildlife Center of DuPage County