What you should do if you find a sick or orphaned animal

News Release
MNR

What You Should Do If You Find A Sick, Injured Or Orphaned Wild Animal
Many well-intentioned people needlessly remove juvenile animals from a healthy, natural life in the wild. They think the animal is sick, injured or orphaned when that is often not the case.
Where an animal is in need of help, it requires specialized care to recover and return to the wild.
You cannot keep wildlife in captivity without approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
However, a person may possess a wild animal for up to 24 hours to transport it to a wildlife custodian or a veterinarian.
Determining if Wildlife is Orphaned
It is normal for some species to leave their offspring temporarily alone, especially during the day.
For example, deer and cottontail rabbits spend much of the day away from their well-camouflaged offspring to minimize the chance of predators finding them.
To determine if young wildlife is truly orphaned:
• Check the animal periodically for 24 to 48 hours to see if it is still around, but keep your distance.
• Keep cats and dogs away from the area where the young animal is; the adult will not return if
it is noisy or if predators or people are close by.
Signs of injury or illness
Blood, wounds or swelling on the body
Body covered in fleas
Unusual or uneven loss of fur or feathers
Difficult or raspy breathing or sneezing
A dangling leg or wing
Closed eyes; head tucked under wing
Care Necessary To Help The Animal
• Contact a wildlife custodian who can help you assess the situation and will provide
advice on what action to take.
• If specialized and immediate care is necessary to help the animal, take it to a wildlife
custodian or a veterinarian within 24 hours of capture.
• If you must handle the animal, follow the instructions provided by the wildlife custodian
on how to minimize risk of injury to yourself and to the animal.
• Wear protective clothing and equipment, such as leather gloves, to avoid bites or
scratches, and wash hands well after handling the animal.
It is important to recognize that many of the volunteer-operated organizations have limited
capacity to accept animals, especially during the spring.
Potential resources for finding a wildlife rehabilitator in your area:
•International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC)
- visit http://www.iwrc-online.org/ and click on “Find a Wildlife Rehabilitator in your Area”
•Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network (OWREN) (www.owren-online.org):
- call 905-735-9556
-contact info@owren-online.org
•Local Humane Society or local branch of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA):
- call the Ontario SPCA Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at 1-888-668-7722 or the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Midland at 705-534-4350
- visit http://ontariospca.ca/.

Diseased or Dead Wildlife
• To report dead animals, birds, or bats contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (www.ccwhc.ca) at 1-866-673-4781.
• If you suspect there is a public health risk from a sick wild animal, such as rabies, or you or your pet had contact with a suspected rabid animal, contact your local Public Health Unit immediately.
• Rabies is fatal for humans and animals if not treated.
• Symptoms of rabies and several other diseases in animals can include tremors, aggressive
behaviour, partial paralysis, convulsions, and loss of fear of humans.