 Photo by Dick Cronberg |
What To Do If You Find
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From Oregen Department of Fish & Wildlife:
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A DEAD BIRD
Here are contacts who can answer your questions as to who can accept and nurse the hurt critter back to health.
- Wildlife Images: 541-476-0222.
They can provide a contact near you of one of their Wildlife Response Team members. - Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: 541-826-8774.
Workdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - As a last resort -
State Police: 541-776-6111. (Central Point)
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Wildlife Images have organized a Wildlife Response Team. This team of volunteers, scattered around Jackson and Josephine Counties, are available to help people with wildlife concerns. Upon contacting the above phone numbers, you may be referred to a member of the team who lives close to your home. Under most circumstances, before handling or interfering with an animal, contact someone for help and advice.
State and Federal law requires that a rehabilitation license be obtained before attempting wildlife rehabilitation. The advice below should only be used as a temporary solution, until you can quickly transfer the animal to a trained professional. These laws were developed to protect well meaning, but untrained, persons from disease and possible injury, and to afford the animal competent care and the best chance of long term survival.
If an animal appears injured, and you are unable to find help immediately, there are several alternatives you have to help the animal. Before you proceed with your plan, however, re-evaluate your plan and its potential safety hazards to you. A question you should ask yourself is, how dangerous is the animal, and can you be injured by it?
- Herons and other sharp-billed birds can poke out an eye, or kill you instantly if improperly handled
- Raptors have sharp talons which can seriously injure you, or blind you if improperly handled
- Wildlife carry a variety of diseases which are a threat to you, your children and your pets
- Mammals should never, or rarely, be handled. They can inflict serious injury and transmit serious diseases like rabies. Often special equipment is needed to handle mammals.
- Do nothing until help arrives
- Place a cardboard box over the animal, flaps removed, weigh down the box with a rock, and wait for help to arrive. Keep away dogs, cats and people.
- Throw a blanket or large towel over the animal, and wearing leather gloves, scoop it into a box or kennel.
- Use a long-handled fishing net to capture the animal, then, lift it into a box or kennel. If using your hands to help, wear leather gloves.
- For small birds, a lightweight towel over the animal is usually enough to allow a safe capture to a box or kennel.
- When capturing dangerous birds, never do it alone. Someone should be there you help you out of a bad situation, if it arises. Safety First!
Very little can be done outside of capturing an animal, by inexperienced folks. However, the one thing you can do may be the most important thing to help save the animals life. Shock, the number one killer of injured wildlife, is experienced by ALL injured wildlife, some more severe than others. Shock can be treated simply by providing the animal with a dark, quiet box, and by keeping it warm.
- Use a cardboard box large enough for the animal to lie down and turn around, with a top you can close.
- Put a towel without holes or strings in the bottom of the box.
- Poke a few SMALL holes in the box for air circulation.
- Put the animal inside the box, close the lid, and tape it securely closed.
- Put a heating pad on LOW, below the box, only under half of the box, so the animal can self-adjust for needed heat. (A heating pad might not be needed in the hot summer months.)
- DO NOT feed, water or handle the animal further.
- Handling the animal, or peeking into the box, will increase the stress on the animal. Remember, they view you as a predator, not as a kind- hearted helper.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the animal.
A bird that has hit a window is often one of the easiest scenarios to mitigate. If you find a bird under your window, assume a window strike. If there is no obvious injury, but the bird seems unconscious or dizzy, follow these instructions. Put the bird in a cardboard box, and use a heating pad as described above. Leave it alone, undisturbed for 2-4 hours in a dark, quiet place. After that time, take the box outside during daylight and open the lid. The bird will often fly away, if not, call for help. If you need to keep it overnight, attempt a release first thing in the morning.
Our goal for helping injured and orphaned wildlife is to provide a reasonable amount of care, intending to release the animal back into the wild. Some injuries may not be fixable, and as the kindest alternative may necessitate euthanasia.
Domestic cats and dogs are one of the most deadly threats to our native wildlife. Please, be a responsible pet owner and control your pets.
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