Greenbriar Animal Hospital

Protect it from the environment if it is bleeding or if there are predators (cats, dogs, foxes, etc.) in the immediate area. Do not move it or pick it up unless directed to by the information at the web site given below. Cover it with a sweatshirt or jacket, or with a cardboard box or laundry basket. Next, you need to be able to tell if the critter is really abandoned, or just staying by itself for a few hours. Most animals and birds don’t need to be rescued! How to tell exactly what the situation is? Go to http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/injured_orphaned_wildlife_1.html. To report an orphaned or abandoned wild animal or bird, go to

http://www.humanesociety.org/forms/contact_us/wildlife_contact_form.html

It is illegal to keep a wild animal or wild bird, even just to nurse it back to good health. It is dangerous for the critter and possibly for you, as many wild animals and birds carry diseases and parasites that are contagious to pets and people. Only a trained and licensed wildlife rehabilitator is allowed to care for wild critters and birds; part of their extensive training includes gradually returning the critters to the wild.