What to Do When You Find a Wild Animal

Every spring and summer, my phone fills up with the same call.Someone has found something. A bird on the ground, a baby squirrel in the yard, a turtle in the road. They are panicked and well-meaning and standing there not knowing what to do next.That first instinct of reaching out is exactly right. It’s the next five minutes that determine whether the animal makes it.This week’s episode of WildTomorrow walks through what those five minutes should actually look like: what to do, what not to do, and why the gap between those two things costs animals their lives more often than any injury does.I’ve pulled the checklists from the episode here so you have them in one place.Screenshot them. Share this post. Send it to someone who would absolutely panic and pick up the bird immediately. Find graphics and a printable version here.BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANYTHING: OBSERVE FIRSTGive yourself two to three minutes to watch from a distance before you touch anything. These are the questions to run through:□ Is the animal moving? Is it breathing?□ Are there parents nearby, watching from a distance?□ Is it a fledgling, a young bird that’s supposed to be on the ground?□ Is there a visible wound, blood, or obvious injury?□ Was it found near a road, a window, or with a cat or dog?Not sure if it needs help? Take a photo and text it to a local wildlife rehabilitator. That is not a bother. That is exactly what we are here for.IF IT NEEDS HELP: CONTAINMENTYou have a container. You have something. Here is what works:□ Cardboard box with a lid□ Laundry basket with a towel over the top□ Pet carrier or dog crate□ Plastic tote with air holes poked in the lid□ Cooler with the lid cracked□ Bathroom or closet with the door shut (for larger animals)Line it with a plain cotton t-shirt, hand towel, or paper towels. Avoid terry cloth or loose knits; claws catch in the loops. Then: dark room, quiet, away from people and pets. Stress kills. The box is not just containment. The box is the first treatment.DO NOT DO THESE THINGS□ Do NOT offer food or water (unless a rehabber tells you to)□ Do NOT handle the animal more than needed to get it contained□ Do NOT leave the container in direct sun or a hot car□ Do NOT show it to neighbors, kids, or bystanders□ Do NOT attempt to clean wounds or apply first aid□ Do NOT assume silence means the animal is fineThe instinct to feed is one of the most dangerous. An injured animal given food before it’s physiologically stable can aspirate, develop aspiration pneumonia, or crash from the metabolic stress. Water can drown a bird too weak to hold its head up. Dark box, quiet room, call a rehabber, in that order.WHEN YOU CALL: HAVE THIS READY□ Species, or describe: size, color, beak / feet / scales□ Where it was found (address, GPS, or habitat description)□ How long ago you found it□ Any visible injury, blood, abnormal posture, or seizures□ What it was near: road / window / cat / dog / wire□ Can you transport, or do you need pickup?Send a photo by text even after you’ve called. A single photo tells a rehabber more than five minutes of description and helps with triage before anyone gets in a car. If the rehabber can’t respond immediately, hold the container. Stay calm. They may be with another critical animal. Your animal is not the only one in crisis today. Waiting with a contained animal is doing the job.THE 60-SECOND RULEWhen you find an injured wild animal, these are the only decisions that matter in the first minute:1. Observe from a distance. Does it actually need help?2. If yes, find a container. Any container. Line it.3. Place the animal inside. Minimal handling.4. Dark. Quiet. Away from people and pets.5. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Send a photo.6. Wait. Hold the container. Do not feed.You do not need experience. You do not need equipment. You just need to start.FIND A REHABBER NEAR YOUAnimal Help Now (zip code search): ahnow.orgNational Wildlife Rehabilitators Association: nwrawildlife.org/page/Found_Injured_WildlifeWildlife Rehabber zip code search: wildliferehabber.orgTexas Parks & Wildlife — rehabbers in Texas: tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/rehab/WildTomorrow is an independent conservation accountability publication. No grants, no sponsorships, no seats at tables with the organizations I investigate. If this post was useful, the best things you can do are share it and subscribe. Get full access to WildTomorrow at wildtomorrow.substack.com/subscribe