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FOUND A SICK, INJURED OR BABY WILD MAMMAL?
We're not alone here in Niagara!
Face it, native wild animals inhabit this earth, and they've been
around a lot longer than we have. We may be seeing more and more of them
in urban areas because we are encroaching on their territories.
Did you know,
for example, that the peninsula is home to approximately 8,000
raccoons? They live among us and have a distinct disadvantage, because
they are losing their habitat to development. At least when you and I come
home from a busy day, our home is still there - for them, it's not the same.
They can come home one morning, and find a bulldozer in their living room and a
subdivision going up! This occurs more often than not. This is just one example of
the ongoing displacement of wildlife and what is taking place in Niagara, and province wide
- on a daily basis.
And yes, we have coyotes living among us. There is
absolutely nothing new - or shocking, about that. They were here long
before humans moved in! You may be seeing more of them because they too are
suffering from habitat loss as well. They generally mind their own
business, and we can learn to peacefully coexist with them as well. However, if you are worried about your very small pets and cats, PLEASE KEEP
THEM INDOORS. Domestic cats and dogs deserve to be part of your family, not
relegated to living a life outdoors.
Bats? Unless there has been possible contact
between the bat and a human or pet, e.g. if the bat is found in a human
dwelling, or perhaps in a school, it is NOT necessary to have the bat euthanized. The incidence of rabies in bats is so low, that if there has been
no
contact, the bat can be brought to a rehabilitation centre. Use caution
and always wear gloves when handling ANY rabies vector species, but especially
bats. Bats do
have extremely tiny teeth and you would not notice a bite. They are amazing
animals who serve a useful purpose on this planet. So if you find the bat
on the ground, outside, unable to fly, and it hasn't been near
humans, it's not necessary to euthanize it. Bring it to an authorized
wildlife rehabilitator for care and assessment. NOTE: We are losing
millions of bats to an unknown disease called 'White Nose Syndrome'.
Entire colonies are being lost and wiped out. This is not contagious to human
beings, or to any other animals and seems to affect only bats. It's proving to
be very fatal and researchers still don't understand what it is that's causing
this. As one of the most beneficial mammals on the planet, we need to do
all we can to protect and preserve our bat species.
Reuniting wild babies with their
mothers
First, check the
'Found Wildlife' page and determined if this baby is a healthy orphan that
just got lost or fell out of it's nest.
Warm the baby up, only if it is
cold to the touch:
How? Fill a non
leaking bottle with hot water, wrap it in layers of toweling so the baby can't
get near the bottle, but will benefit from the radiating heat, and place it in
one corner of the box. Lay some non raveling towels in the box bottom and place
the baby in the box.
Squirrels (Grey
squirrels, Fox squirrels, Red squirrels, and Flying squirrels)
-
Place the baby
in a deep box (so it can't climb out) making sure it's been warmed up first.
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Tape or hang the
box in the nearest tree, as high as you can safely put it.
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Leave the area.
If you have to watch, do it from inside your house. You are a predator and a
threat and the parent will not return if you keep running over there every
ten seconds to check things out. Patience is a virtue, practice it!
-
Keep all cats
INDOORS and keep dogs away from the area so the mother has a chance to
reclaim it.
-
Leave the baby
there for 24 hours and then check back to see if the mother has come for it.
If she hasn't, and the baby is again cold, warm it up one more time and
replace it in the box.
Wait 12 more hours and if she hasn't returned, then you may need to intervene.
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NEVER, EVER,
give food or water to a baby animal. EVER. Please DO NOT feed
them human baby formulas or whatever 'recipes' you find on the 'internet'.
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Wear gloves
anytime you handle wildlife. Always.
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NEVER bring the
baby into your house to warm it up and keep it inside. It's mother can't find it in your
house and she will abandon it if she can't find it. Don't kidnap them.
Give her a chance to reclaim them.
Chipmunks
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Same as above,
with the exception of where to place the baby.
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Chipmunks live
under a pile of rocks, or debris, or in underground tunnels, in short, they
live on the ground, not in the trees.
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Find a spot
nearby that looks like this and has some cover, and place the baby in a box,
but cover the box with another object for shelter, and to prevent access by
cats.
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Make sure one
end of the box (milk crate or recycling box works well) is lifted off the
ground to allow mom to access and get inside the second box to get her baby
out.
Groundhogs
Cottontail Rabbits
-
Rabbits are
terrible nest builders. They will make a very shallow depression in
the earth, line it with grass and pull some of their fur and place it in among the grass and
then give birth to the babies in this small 'nest'. You'll find them in the
middle of lawns, in flowerbeds, near well travelled sidewalks, etc.
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The mother
cottontail DOES NOT sit on the nest all day and night. She drops by
once - or twice - a day (generally at dawn and dusk) to feed the babies and then leaves to go hide herself
nearby. She stays away from them so she doesn't attract predators to
them by leaving her scent all over the babies. Usually,
it's difficult to see her because she will be active only at dawn and dusk.
If you see one in the daytime, it's likely been disturbed by a human or pet
cat or dog and has been spooked out of its hiding area.
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IF you find baby
cottontails whose eyes are open and ears are up, the size of a tennis ball
(3-4 inches tall and would fit easily into the palm of your hand) this means that they are on their own. They DO NOT NEED RESCUING! Let
them be! They leave the nest and set out for life on their own when they are
approximately three weeks old! By then, their mother has had another
litter somewhere nearby and she's left them as her job has been completed.
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Rabbits do not
stay in family social groups, they are solitary animals.
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You may suddenly
see rabbits this size playing in the yard, and think they need rescuing.
They don't. In a few days they will all disperse and go their separate
ways. DO NOT bring them inside, or to a rehabilitator.
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Cottontail
rabbits whose eyes are closed and whose ears are still pressed flat back on
their heads are too young to be on their own, however, don't automatically
pick them up to 'rescue' them - they probably have a mother who is close by.
Simply put them back where you found them, or in the general vicinity of
that area, and cover them up with some small twigs in a criss cross pattern.
Check them again after 48 hours. If the twigs have been disturbed, or
mussed up, their mom has been there to feed them. Let her finish the
job and they'll soon be on their way. If the twigs are not disturbed and
they are cold to the touch, then they need to be brought in.
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If you
accidentally mow over them with a lawnmower and some of them have survived, put
the survivors back. Yes, they will be in shock but their mother is still
around and nearby and will return to feed and care for them. As for those injured,
it depends on how severe the injuries are. Fractured rear legs in
rabbits are impossible to repair, and a humane euthanasia may be the kindest
thing for them. Injured babies need to be seen to be assessed.
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Cottontail
rabbits do not do well in captivity, they stress very easily and can go into
shock simply at being handled. It is very difficult to rehabilitate
them.
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98% of all baby
cottontail rabbits brought in, are kidnapped and are not true orphans.
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Simply saying
that you saw a dead adult rabbit somewhere nearby, is no indication that the
rabbit was the mother of the litter you just discovered. That could have
been a male rabbit or their 'aunt'. The species is numerous and
plentiful in Niagara so don't take a nest of rabbits based on that
observation.
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You can in fact,
have more than one nest (and mother rabbit) on your front lawn.
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To protect young
babies from marauding cats and dogs, the solution is simple. Place a
plastic container over the nest (milk crate, recycling box) with one end
wedged up so the mom can get under it to feed the babies and keep your cats
INDOORS. For those couple of weeks keep your dog leashed when you let
it out, and give them a chance to mature and disperse. It's an amusing
and entertaining experience to watch them rapidly mature and go off on their
own.
Raccoons
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Raccoons are a
rabies vector species and should never be handled with bare hands.
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If you've found
them, eyes closed, in your chimney, fireplace, or attic, their mother may be
not too far away and you must give them a chance to be reclaimed by her.
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If you are
prepared to make the necessary repairs and preventive maintenance to ensure
there will be no re-entry, then you can safely (with gloved hands) pick them
up and place them in a deep box that they can't climb out of.
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You'll need to
warm them up if they are cold. (See above for instructions).
Place the box outside, near where you found the baby, on the ground or if
you can, on the roof of your house. If you do leave it on the roof, be
sure to secure it so it can't fall off. If it looks like inclement
weather, cover that box with a bigger one that is waterproof, but leave a
space under it so the mom can get in there to start moving her babies.
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The mothers have
at least 2 or 3 alternate den sites that they will move the babies to.
This may take her 2 or 3 days to do so please, give her time. As
before, keep the cats INDOORS, and the dogs on a leash until she has
accomplished this. For any remaining babies, you may need to replace
the hot water bottle you set up so they stay warm.
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NEVER EVER feed
them or give them anything to drink.
Opossums
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North America's
only marsupial, they carry their babies in their pouches for about 3 months.
At that time the babies will become mobile and venture out, hanging on to
mom's fur while she continues wandering around. (Opossums don't stay
in one spot for very long).
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Sometimes, they
will fall off at that stage in time. She usually won't go back for
them, being unaware that they have fallen.
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If they are 8
inches in length (including the tails) they are capable of surviving on
their own at that stage.
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If they are
considerably smaller than that (half that size) they may need
rehabilitation.
Fawns
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Next to
cottontail rabbits, fawns rank right up there in the class of 'most often kidnapped'.
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The doe will
signal the fawns to lie down in a field or pasture or wherever she is when
morning rolls around and they will curl up and stay there until she
reappears later in the evening to feed them. Similar to the cottontail, the mother
doesn't stay with them as her scent on the fawns would lead predators right to
them.
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If the fawn is
just laying there, PLEASE LEAVE IT. It may not be where ~you think~ it
should be, but that's where she left it, so you follow suit, and leave it
alone. It does not need rescuing.
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Rehabilitation
of fawns is a perilous process and a very stringent one because you have to
prevent habituation to human beings when they are in care.
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If a fawn grows
up around dogs and becomes familiar with them, that is a death sentence to
the animal.
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If it grows up
familiar with and accustomed to people, it's the same - a death sentence
to them.
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Fawns only need
intervention from humans if they are found next to a dead mother or if they are crying
very loudly in the day time and up and moving around.
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Remember this
should you ever try to raise one on your own. ANY human
habituated adult doe or buck can cause SERIOUS harm to a human being.
Those hooves are as sharp as razor blades.
-
The internet has
numerous examples of what has happened (including death) when a
full grown, habituated buck or doe, unexpectedly turned on it's keeper.
Coyote pups, Fox
kits
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It is best not
to pick them up when you find them.
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These animals
are very difficult to rehabilitate and it is even more difficult to attempt
to reintroduce them to an existing pack when they are older.
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Any habituation
to humans is a death sentence to a coyote cub or fox kit, so please keep
that in mind.
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Unless you are
100% certain that both the mother AND father are dead, leave them where you
found them. Upon the death of one parent, parental duties are taken up
by the other one and by any other family pack members.
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Attempting to
take them from a den can risk your life if the parent is nearby and watching
you do this.
NEVER, EVER, feed
or give water to any suspected orphaned baby mammal because you feel sorry for
it. Your feelings may get stretched out to include guilt at causing it's
death through feeding it or forcing water into their lungs by mistake.
AVOID going on
the 'web' to find a formula to feed it. I can assure you that what you
find is INCORRECT and not based on known science today and is harmful to the
animals. Feeding wildlife should only ever be done by trained
professionals who have remain current in their profession through ongoing
training and courses.
If the
situation you are in when you find the wild baby is dangerous, do not attempt to capture
this baby animal on your own.
Call your local humane society, animal control, or
police department for assistance.
If you feel that public
health and safety is at risk from any wild animal, police should be called out
immediately to assist you in securing the area and keeping the public
away. They will call the humane society for assistance as they secure the area.
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