It's always best to leave wildlife in the wild. Learn what you can do if you think a wild animal has been orphaned or injured. Usually, if you find a baby animal, it's best to leave it alone. Rarely are animals truly orphaned; it is possible that the father is foraging for food or watching his young from a distance.
Do not pick up baby animals or take them out of their natural environment. If you come across wild animals that you think may be injured or have been orphaned, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area. If you are unable to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, you can also contact the appropriate FWC regional office for help. He founded Skedaddle in 1989, recognizing the need for urban wildlife professionals who focus on humane extraction methods.
Hybrids resulting from the crossing between wild animals and domestic animals that are substantially similar in size, characteristics and behavior, so that they cannot be distinguished from wild animals, will be regulated as wild animals in the upper and more restricted class of the wild parent. If you can't directly locate a wildlife rescue center or rehabilitation center, contact an animal shelter, zoo, humanitarian society, animal control department, nature center, state wildlife agency, or veterinarian for advice. Any injured, orphaned, or abandoned animal must be taken to an authorized wildlife rehabilitation center for rehabilitation. Only if there is really no mother coming to the nest should babies be taken to the wildlife hospital.
If you see open wounds or other injuries, or if you know for a fact that a young wild animal has lost its parent, see a local wildlife rehabilitator or county wildlife officer. If you find one of these animals sick or injured, contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife office in the Bay Delta at (70 428-2002), as well as your local police department. If you haven't laid eggs, remove all nesting materials as you lay them; protect the area to prevent more nests from forming. Moving wildlife is a last resort and should only be attempted if the animal is in clear and imminent danger.
If there are babies in the bag, take it to the hospital without taking the babies out of the bag. Taking them out is very dangerous. Since then, Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control has carried out more than 200,000 operations to extract and exclude wild species using environmentally friendly and poison-free methods from day one. Caring for sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals beyond the time necessary to transport them to an authorized wildlife rehabilitation center is illegal.
As with budding birds, “rescuing baby deer and rabbits by taking them out of the wild is unnecessary and reduces their chances of survival. If it's a domestic or wild animal, such as a dog, cat, or horse, contact the nearest Humane Society, Animal Services Office, or Animal Control Agency.
