Introduction:
Every spring and summer hundreds of young, orphaned animals are brought to wildlife rehabilitators. Often these animals are not true orphans. Here is some information on identifying, caring for and transporting orphaned mammals. Be sure to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or facility for instructions (contact information available at the end of this text), or to answer your questions before proceeding.
Orphan Identification:
An orphaned animal is a young animal whose natural parents are known to be dead, and it is too young to survive on its own.
Before rescuing an animal make sure it really needs help. If you have witnessed the death of its mother, it obviously is an orphan. However, a dead rabbit in the street does not necessarily mean the nest of infant rabbits in your yard belongs to that rabbit.
Many species have hiding techniques to protect their young. For instance, cottontail rabbits only visit their nest at dawn and dusk to feed their offspring. They stay away from the nest during the day because they do not want to attract the attention of predators.
If you find a nest of infants and believe that the mother is missing, lay sticks in a specific pattern around the nest. Come back the next day to see if the sticks have been disturbed; if they have and the infants appear to be fine, the mother has probably made a visit to the nest and the young animals are not orphans. The best thing to do for them at this point is to leave them alone.
If you find a healthy young animal out of its nest and you believe it to be an orphan, leave it where you found it (as long as it is not in immediate danger) and try to locate the nest yourself. If the young animal is in immediate danger from pets or predators, place it in a safe spot while you look for the nest. Once the nest is located, retrieve the animal and return it to its nest. Some nests such as squirrels’, which are often high up in trees, may be difficult to reach. In such cases, leave the young animal in a shallow open box, one which the mother can get the young out, and leave the box at the base of the tree which has the nest. If you cannot locate the nest, place the orphan in a safe and shaded spot away from the danger of pets, then watch from indoors to see if the mother comes to claim it. If you cannot watch from the house, remain at least 200 feet away from the animal.
The mother
will accept her offspring even after it has been touched by a human as long as you have not kept it away from the nest for too long (more than a few hours) or handled it excessively. Avoid having the orphan come in contact with heavy human scents such as perfumes, hair spray or towels with laundry softener scent.
Keep orphans away from contact with pets or children (due to the potential of disease transmission). In the event that the young are not reclaimed by their mother, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or rehabilitation facility. Also try to assess whether the orphan appears to be injured, thin or cold. If they are, they need to be carefully warmed and require veterinary treatment as quickly as possible. Some injuries require immediate attention, such as cat bites, which can be lethal to a young animal if not given proper medical attention. For these cases, immediately contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or rehabilitation facility.
Always remember: a young animal’s best chance for survival is to be raised by its natural mother. It is important to make every effort to return the young to its mother. Only after all efforts to reunite them have been exhausted should the orphan be removed from the wild.
Orphan Care and Transport:
If you determine that the animal you found is orphaned, you must work quickly to place it in licensed rehabilitative care. It is very important that you call before you begin to make arrangements for capture and transport so that you understand the best way to handle the situation.
From the time that you rescue the orphan, until you turn it over to the appropriate rehabilitation facility, you must keep the young animal warm and in a quiet place. Poke several small holes in an empty cardboard box with a lid; put a clean un-frayed cloth (so the infant will not get tangled in the loose threads) on the bottom of the box to make a nest, and then place the orphan inside.
If you have a heating pad, turn it on low and set the box halfway on the pad. Leave half the box off the heating pad in case the animal gets too warm. Keep the box is a dark, quiet room. It is important that the orphan have no further human contact. Do not feed the orphan. Transfer it immediately to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or facility to be given appropriate attention.
More on Orphan Care:
Do not try to raise the animal yourself. It is illegal to keep wild animals without a wildlife rehabilitation license for good reasons:
- Wild animals NEVER make good pets, because captivity is a constant stress to them.
- Some wild species may seem tame when they are young but become very aggressive as they mature.
- For health reasons, it is important that wild animals are housed away from humans and pets so they cannot spread any diseases.
- Orphans need to be examined and treated by a veterinarian specializing in wildlife medicine.
- They require professional supervision of their specific behavioral, social, environmental and nutritional needs.
- They must be raised with others of their species in order to develop the skills to live in the wild. If they grow up unafraid of humans, they will have no chance of surviving in the wild once released.
Remember- wild animals are meant to be wild. Working together, we can offer many young animals a second chance of the life in the wild they so richly deserve. If you find an orphaned animal, be sure to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or facility to help you determine:
- if the animal is truly an orphan; if not, LEAVE IT ALONE;
- methods to insure the safety of the animal, yourself and you pets;
- techniques to properly transport the animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or facility.
Tips on Preventing Injuries to Wild Animals:
- Educate your children to respect wild animals and their habitats. Teach children that wild animals should be allowed to go about their lives undisturbed by humans. No one should destroy nests, burrows or other wildlife havens.
- Each year people doing yard work unintentionally destroy many nests. Make it a point to walk slowly through your yard and garden before beginning any work such as mowing or rototilling. Identify any ground nests so as not to disturb them while working.
- Check before cutting down trees to make sure there are no active nests in branches or tree cavities. If the tree poses no hazard, try to leave it standing. Dead trees provide homes and food for many wild animals, such as opossums, squirrels, flying squirrels, porcupines and raccoons.
- Place caps over all chimneys, vents and window wells to prevent animals from taking up residence and becoming trapped. Do this BEFORE nest making commences in the spring.
- Don’t allow your pets to roam. Keep cats in the house and dogs well attended. This not only protects wild animals but keeps your pet safe from harm
- Explore alternatives for your landscape. Provide an environmentally friendly yard (toxin-free) and consider landscaping to increase wildlife habitat.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities You May Contact:
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota- Roseville: (651) 486-9453 www.wrcmn.org
Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release- Golden Valley: (612) 822-7058
Wild Again- St. Cloud: (320) 685-3365
AudubonCenter of the North Woods- Sandstone: (320) 245-2648
Wild and Free Wildlife Program- Garrison: (320) 692-4180 www.wildandfree.org
Minnesota Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators:
A Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer or the Regional Nongame Specialist can connect you with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area:
Northwest: Bemidji, MN (218) 755-2976
Northeast: Grand Rapids, MN (218) 327-4267
Central: Brainerd, MN (218) 828-2228
Southwest: New Ulm, MN (507)359-6033
Southeast: Rochester, MN (507) 280-5070
Metro: St. Paul, MN (651) 296-6157
Reprinted with permission from the Minnesota Wildlife Assistance Cooperative (MWAC). For more information on other species of injured or orphaned wildlife; or for general information on wildlife rehabilitation or MWAC visit www.mnwildlife.org
Enjoy your pets,
Vicki Davis
Vicki Davis is the Executive Director of the Tri-County Humane Society, located in the greater St. Cloud, Minnesota area. Vicki serves the community by providing quality care and adoption services for animals in need and by offering educational programs to encourage the awareness, understanding and practice of humane principles.