Wild Animal Rescue - NATURAL RESOURCES - Conservation, Forestry & Wildlife Management - Library Home at Fox Valley Technical College

If you find a baby animal alone...it might not really be alone

"Humans don't always know what is best for animals. I recall seeing a turtle on a sidewalk, years ago. I thought (in my naive arrogance),
"Poor turtle, I'll put it back by the pond, where it belongs." Later that day I saw the same turtle patiently walking along the same sidewalk, then go into a flowerbed and deposit her eggs. Oops! That made me realize that turtles know better what they want than I do, for sure."
- Val Magno

Whether it is a baby chick on the ground or a fawn hiding in the shadows, don't assume it is abandoned. Many well-intentioned people have stolen babies from their parents, thinking they were rescuing them. And don't try to raise them yourself, unless you have training and permits for rearing wild animals.

In Wisconsin, raising some wild animals without a Wildlife Rehabilitation License is illegal! Contact the Wi DNR for advice.

*Keep Wildlife Wild: HOW TO TELL IF A WILD ANIMAL IS TRULY ORPHANED
*Think you found a sick, injured, or "orphaned" wild animal? Call WISCONSIN HUMANE SOCIETY (414) 431-6204
CAPTIVE WILDLIFE REGULATIONS AND LICENSES
Wisconsin law regulates the possession of and activities involving captive wildlife. Activities that are regulated include but are not limited to taking, transporting, selling, purchasing, introducing, stocking, releasing, hunting, exhibiting, propagating and rehabilitating captive wild animals.
General Questions: Wisconsin DNR wildlife Hotline: Call Toll Free 1-888-WDNRINFO (1-888-936-7463)
General questions seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
REPORT SICK OR DEAD WILDLIFE
Email: DNRWildlifeSwitchboard@wisconsin.gov
Or call 608-267-0866
WILDLIFE DISEASES
WILDLIFE REHABILITATION RESOURCES AND DIRECTORY
You can get a Wildlife Rehabilitation License
How To Help A Baby Bird: 4 Simple Steps
"Under no circumstance should you take the bird home. It’s illegal."
Feathers – Finders Keepers? Not Really . . .
"The feathers from upland game birds are legal to keep. Turkey, pheasant, grouse, and the like. The same goes for waterfowl game birds. Canada geese, Mallard ducks, and many others." When in doubt, just take a photo.
Migratory Birds: Nests protected too.
"It is also illegal for anyone to keep a nest they take out of a tree or find on the ground unless they have a permit to do so issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the take (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

NATURAL RESOURCES - Conservation, Forestry & Wildlife Management: Wild Animal Rescue

If you find a baby animal alone...it might not really be alone