Wildlife in Distress

What to do when you find adult wildlife in distress

An adult animal showing any of the following signs, or who otherwise appears to be sick or injured, will need help from a wildlife rehabilitator:

1. Obvious signs of illness or injury like visible wounds, injured limbs, twitching/shaking, loss of balance, missing fur/feathers
2. Known contact with a cat – even if no injuries are visible, medical attention is still necessary
3. Abnormal behaviour like appearing sleepy when approached closely, allowing people to approach within 1-2 feet, or appearing blind
4. Material stuck/tangled on animal like a can on its foot, string wrapped around a limb or sticking out of its mouth, or grease on its fur/feathers
5. Animals (including water birds) that look wet when it isn’t raining, or turtles that seem unable to submerge themselves underwater, are also likely in need of help

Steps to follow:

1. Contact wildlife custodian near you prior to doing anything. Each situation/species requires a different approach. For a list of Wildlife Custodians in ON Click here!

2. If you can't reach a rehabilitator right away leave a message and they will get back to you asap. You can also choose to contact you local SPCA or veterinarian.
3. Please ensure that the animal in question is truly injured and in need of help.
4. Never handle any type of wildlife with your bare hands. Always wear gloves and other PPE.
5. Best not to feed the animalbut access to a shallow dish of water might help

If you after reading this have determined that you indeed have wildlife in need of help in your possession please apply the oppropriate steps as listed above and contact a Wildlife Custodian.

It is against the law to be in the possesion of native wildlife unless you are authorized by the MNRF or CWS