Wildlife Emergencies
Guidelines and species-specific instructions
Prioritize your safety! You cannot help an animal if you become injured yourself. Observe the situation from a distance at first, noting any obvious injuries or unusual behavior. Take note of the animal's location. Look for street names, landmarks, or drop a GPS pin on your phone.
Immediately call a professional. Our wildlife hotline is (434) 263-5954. In Virginia, only those possessing valid rehabilitation permits from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources may care for wildlife.
Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife Center of Virginia
Blue Ridge Wildlife Center
VDWR Licensed
Rehabilitator Database
Quick reference
RWS hotline hours: 8AM-5PM, 7 days/week
RWS patient admission hours: 9AM-4PM, 7 days/week unless otherwise agreed upon with our rehab team.
Depending on your geographic location, you may find it more efficient to call a different wildlife center closer to you.
Please refer to the instructions below for further instruction on helping injured and orphaned wild animals.
Have you found a wild animal in need of help?
Injured Wildlife
- Is bleeding profusely/wounded
- Has been bitten by a cat or dog
- Has a broken limb or obvious asymmetry
- Has collided with a window, car, or other object
- Is experiencing respiratory distress
- Is non-responsive
RWS Tip
Throw a towel or blanket over the animal you want to contain. This covers the animal's eyes, reducing stress, and allows you to scoot or burrito-bundle the animal into a secure container without directly handling it.
A QUICK CAT CHAT
Any cat-caught wild animal must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian as soon as possible. Domestic cats (including feral cats) are non-native predators across the United States, and cats can often leave tiny puncture wounds invisible to the untrained eye. The bacteria from their mouths and paws can get trapped in these wounds and cause a systemic infection and death.
Call us immediately if your cat has brought you a wild animal, safely containing that animal per the above guidelines while awaiting further instruction.
Want to help your cat and help wildlife? Keep your cat indoors. Cats live longer, happier lives when kept inside - and so do wild animals.
Suspected Orphaned Wildlife
- Prepare a lidded box for the young animal by placing a cloth or non-looping towel on the bottom of the box.
- Wearing gloves (latex, gardening gloves, and/or small leather gloves), gently pick up the baby animal and place it in the box. For larger orphans, use the blanket method outlined above under Injured Animals. Never touch a wild animal bare-handed, particularly young mammals, for your own safety.
- Keep the ventilated box in a quiet, temperature place away from children and pets.
- Provide an external heat source. This is vital for young orphaned animals. You may place a heating pad on its lowest setting underneath the container - make sure your heating pad doesn't have an auto shut-off function after two hours! Alternatively, you can stuff a sock with uncooked rice, beans, or bird seed and microwave it for 45-60 seconds to create a heat pack fit for an hourlong road trip.
Unless specifically advised to do so by a permitted wildlife rehabilitator, please do not attempt to offer food or water to an orphaned animal. Each species we care for has its own specific formula and diet, and feeding them without training can cause illness or death due to gastrointestinal upset or aspiration.
Please refer to the species-specific information below to help determine if an animal is orphaned, in case we are not immediately available to answer your call.
If we determine the animal is a true orphan:
- Prepare a lidded box for the young animal by placing a cloth or non-looping towel on the bottom of the box.
- Wearing gloves (latex, gardening gloves, and/or small leather gloves), gently pick up the baby animal and place it in the box. For larger orphans, use the blanket method outlined above under Injured Animals. Never touch a wild animal bare-handed, particularly young mammals, for your own safety.
- Keep the ventilated box in a quiet, temperature place away from children and pets.
- Provide an external heat source. This is vital for young orphaned animals. You may place a heating pad on its lowest setting underneath the container - make sure your heating pad doesn't have an auto shut-off function after two hours! Alternatively, you can stuff a sock with uncooked rice, beans, or bird seed and microwave it for 45-60 seconds to create a heat pack fit for an hourlong road trip.
Unless specifically advised to do so by a permitted wildlife rehabilitator, please do not attempt to offer food or water to an orphaned animal. Each species we care for has its own specific formula and diet, and feeding them without training can cause illness or death due to gastrointestinal upset or aspiration.
Please refer to the species-specific information below to help determine if an animal is orphaned, in case we are not immediately available to answer your call.
RWS Tip
The most critical step you can take to help an orphan's chance of survival is to provide it with an external heat source. A microwaved sock full of uncooked rice can save a life!
If you see a young wild animal and aren't sure if it needs help, call us first before attempting intervention. Many baby animals brought to wildlife sanctuaries are not really “orphans” in need of rescuing! They are often still in the care of their parents, or at a stage in life where they are ready to live on their own. Keep in mind that a young, uninjured wild animal's best chance of survival will be to leave it in its natural parents' care.
How To Help: A Species-Specific Breakdown
There are no orphaned box turtles (or reptiles, for that matter) because reptiles do not provide parental care for their young. Box turtles are born the size of a quarter and are entirely independent! If you encounter a small box turtle, simply leave it where it is and know it does not need professional care.
The two most common reasons Eastern Box Turtles arrive at the the Sanctuary are collisions with a moving vehicle or being hit with a lawn mower/gardening equipment. If this has occurred, do not attempt to clean or repair the shell on your own. Because the shell is living tissue, the turtle is likely experiencing severe pain. The Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary has the proper tools available to repair shells and monitor healing. Place the turtle in a box with air holes and plan to bring it to us or to your nearest wildlife rehabilitator. Do not feed turtle. Do not give or apply medications. Lastly, do not put an eastern box turtle in water as box turtles are terrestrial not aquatic.
If you spot a healthy box turtle in the road, please help it cross safely by moving it in the same direction it was facing. Never relocate an eastern box turtle to a new habitat as they have small home territories. A box turtle may live its entire 40-60 year lifespan in an area smaller than a football field! Moving turtles out of their home range can also spread disease. Because their populations are declining, never take a box turtle from the wild to keep as a pet. (Pssst: it's not legal!) Please call us with any questions.
Box
Turtles
In most species of snake, the babies are totally independent from birth! That means, if you encounter what looks like an "orphaned" snake, it is likely a-okay on its own. It might even be an adult of one of our smaller species, like a rough earth snake.
Snakes primarily need rehabilitative care due to injuries. They may become injured during yard work or when they are caught by a domestic cat or dog. If you find an injured snake, please contain it in a small container with ventilation and contact RWS immediately, as the animal will need to see a wildlife veterinarian. We also occasionally receive calls about snakes stuck in garden fencing. If that is the case, please cut through the fence in a wide circle around the snake and bring the entire netting cutting in with the snake still attached. Do not try to attempt to remove the netting yourself, as it may cause more harm to the patient.
There are many species of snake native to Virginia, and the majority of them are non-venomous. There are only three venomous species: the eastern cottonmouth (limited to the southeastern portion of the state), the timber rattlesnake (primarily east of the Blue Ridge Mountains), and the copperhead (found across the state). Keep in mind that it is illegal to capture and relocate snakes unless performed by a permitted pest control company, in which case they euthanize the snake. The most effective ways to encourage snakes to relocate on their own is by removing the spots they are sheltering and clearing areas of brush or plants that attract rodents and birds. Snakes are also essential to the environment, as they manage populations of rodents and other species that they consume! Thanks, snakes.
Snakes
Phasellus viverra nulla ut metus varius laoreet. Quisque rutrum. Aenean imperdiet. Etiam ultricies nisi vel augue. Curabitur ullamcorper ultricies nisi. Nam eget dui. Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus.
An injured adult or infant eastern gray squirrel must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian. Contain the injured animal in a secure, ventilated box and call us at RWS. You may also call the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
If you have encountered a young eastern gray squirrel fallen from its nest and it appears to be healthy, we will most likely recommend attempting to renest the baby. Place the squirrel in a fleece-lined, shallow box at the base of the tree nearest to where you found it. Provide a warm rice sock or warm water bottle in the box with the baby as heat support. Leave the baby there for a minimum of 3 hours, unless otherwise instructed by a wildlife rehabber. We may recommend in some cases that you attempt for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the baby's developmental age. Squirrel mothers have multiple nesting sites, so even if one was destroyed, she likely has a few backup nests in the area that she could bring her babies to. Reduce all foot traffic in the area, including children and pets, during the renesting attempt.
If mom does not retrieve the baby, the baby needs to come into professional care ASAP at the Sanctuary or your nearest wildlife rehabilitator.
Squirrels
Generally, striped skunks are raised from birth inside of a den. They do not leave their den until they are old enough to follow their mother around, which they will do for roughly 4 weeks before dispersing. Juvenile skunks are independent once they are approximately football-sized.
If you suspect that a skunk has been orphaned, give us a call before capturing them and bringing them in for rehabilitation.If you encounter an eyes-closed skunk in your yard with no known den in sight, in most cases, that baby should be contained and brought to the Sanctuary. If you encounter one or more healthy eyes-open skunks in your yard, please leave them alone to see if their mother is nearby or will retrieve them for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight, given the nocturnal nature of this species.
We occasionally receive calls from folks who have seen a deceased adult skunk on the road and spot juvenile skunks nearby. In most cases, those babies need to come into professional rehabilitative care. Additionally, if you see small skunks wandering around your yard, please consider whether you have seen any adult road-killed skunks nearby in the past couple of days. That is important information to share with us and can help us determine if the kits you see need our help.
For containing skunks, we recommend using a thick towel or blanket to throw on top of each individual, preventing them from being able to spray at you. Skunk kits are unable to spray with force until they are older juveniles, but skunks of any age can carry rabies. Take care to avoid touching or handling skunks without proper protective gear covering your skin. As a highest-risk rabies-vector species, any inappropriate touching by a rescuer may necessitate the animal's euthanasia for testing. Help our patients by being responsible!
An injured striped skunk must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian, regardless of its age. Contain the injured animal in a secure, ventilated box and call us at RWS. You may also call the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Skunks
Determining whether a Virginia opossum has been orphaned is quite straightforward compared to other mammals. The majority of the opossums that we rehabilitate at RWS come from the pouch after the mother has been hit by a car. As North America's only marsupial, babies inside mom's pouch may survive the initial collision even if their mother doesn't.
If you hit an opossum or notice one laying in the road, and you are in a reasonably safe place to stop, carefully check the pouch for babies. You can use a stick or towel to gently roll the opossum on her back and look for movement. Orphaned opossums will not survive without a licensed rehabilitator help if they have not left their mother’s pouch. Should you encounter orphaned pouch young, call the Sanctuary.
If you notice a small eyes-open opossum in your yard, we determine its developmental age by its size. Generally, juvenile opossums are independent from their mothers once they are larger than 8 inches long from tip of nose to the base of their tail. No need to grab a ruler. You can always send us a photo and we can help determine what kind of care, if any, that opossum needs. If it's obviously smaller than 8 inches from tip of nose to base of tail, please wear PPE and place it in a container with an external heat source. Do not attempt to feed these animals. Also, make every effort to keep them separate from house pets or children.
If you've found one lone opossum in your yard, chances are that you’ll find more than one! Opossums can have up to twelve babies in one litter. Baby opossums live inside of their mother’s pouch for the first two months following birth, and then tend to ride on her back for several more months while they learn the ropes of opossum life. If one falls off, the mother will not go looking for him or her, so occasionally you may find a single baby opossum.
Virginia
opossums
If you encounter an eyes-closed orphaned raccoon with no visible injuries, we may suggest you first attempt to reunite it with its mother. Place the raccoon in a fleece-lined, shallow box at the base of the tree nearest to where you found it. Provide a warm rice sock or warm water bottle in the box with the baby as heat support. Leave the baby there for a minimum of 3 hours, unless otherwise instructed by a wildlife rehabber. We may recommend in some cases that you attempt for 12 to 24 hours, or overnight, depending on the baby's developmental age. If the mom doesn't return in the timeframe instructed by our staff over a phone call, please arrange to bring it to RWS.
Eyes-open juvenile raccoons are often mistakenly identified as orphaned. Raccoon mothers sometimes change locations and will leave a juvenile raccoon behind, returning to it later. Older kits may also adventure off alone or with their siblings for brief periods of time, returning to their mother later in the day. We usually suggest leaving the juvenile alone for 12-24 hours, including overnight, to allow its mom the chance to fetch the baby. If it is still present at the end of the directed timeframe, contain it and arrange to bring it to RWS.
In many cases, finding one baby raccoon may indicate siblings are nearby. If the baby was found at the base of a tree, the nest is likely in the tree. Keep an eye out for more babies, and thoroughly search the surrounding area: raccoons are adventurous and will travel if hungry!
In the event you must contain and keep a raccoon for a brief period of time before bringing it to RWS, keep it in a secure, ventilated box lined with a soft fleece or blanket. Provide an external heat source. Do not touch the raccoon with your bare hands under any circumstances. Keep the animal separate from any children or pets.
If the raccoon you've encountered is injured, call Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary immediately regardless of the animal's developmental age. Do not attempt to capture the animal until you talk to a member of RWS. If immediate action is needed, wear thick gloves, throw a towel or blanket over the animal, and scoop it into a box or crate.
Raccoons
Similar to Virginia opossums, eastern cottontails may be independent from their mother when they're smaller than you'd expect. If you see a healthy cottontail in your yard that is larger than a softball and has upright ears and open eyes, it is happily on its own! If you encounter an eyes-closed infant or a juvenile smaller than a softball, look around for shallow depressions in the grass where a nest might be. Place the cottontail back in its nest, if possible, and limit any handling to the bare minimum required to safely move it. Cottontails can die from the stress of being handled. (Remember, we humans are terrifying to wild animals!)
Have you found a nest and you're not sure if mom is coming to care for it? Keep in mind that cottontail moms only visit their nest 1-3 times over the course of 24 hours so they can avoid drawing any attention to where their babies are hidden. Thus, you might not actually see mom at any point tending to the nest! You can lay twigs or yarn in a tic-tac-toe formation across the top of the nest. Check back in 12 and 24 hours. If the formation has not been moved in that time frame, call us at the Sanctuary. We will likely recommend those babies be brought in to rehabilitative care.
If mom is returning to the nest, no need to do anything! However, with curious dogs or feral cats around, you can turn over a shallow plastic laundry basket with built in holes and place bricks on top to keep it weighted down. That way, cottontails may enter or exit, but a dog or cat won't be able to access the nest. If possible, walk your dog on a leash or avoid that part of the yard while the cottontails are in their nest. Baby cottontails are only in their nest for three to four weeks before being independent!
If the cottonail you've encountered is injured, call Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary immediately regardless of the animal's developmental age. Do not attempt to capture the animal until you talk to a member of RWS. If immediate action is needed, wear thick gloves, throw a towel or blanket over the animal, and scoop it into a box or crate. Remember that stress reduction is vital for cottontails. Do not pet, talk to, or take photos of the cottontail while awaiting admittance to a rehab facility.
Eastern
Cottontail
Generally, groundhogs (also called woodchucks) are raised from birth inside of a den. They do not leave their den until they are old enough to follow their mother around, which they will do for a few weeks before dispersing. Juvenile groundhogs are independent once they are approximately football-sized.
If you suspect that a groundhog has been orphaned, give us a call before capturing them and bringing them in for rehabilitation.If you encounter an eyes-closed groundhog in your yard with no known den in sight, in most cases, that baby should be contained and brought to the Sanctuary. If you encounter one or more healthy eyes-open young groundhogs in your yard, please leave them alone to see if their mother is nearby or will retrieve them for a minimum of 3 hours. Often, older juveniles may adventure or play without their mom's supervision.If you see a young groundhog that appear lethargic, uncoordinated, or covered in ectoparasites, it's likely a true orphan situation and that animal needs to come to RWS. Additionally, if you see small groundhogs wandering around your yard, please consider whether you have seen any adult road-killed groundhogs nearby in the past couple of days. That is important information to share with us and can help us determine if the hoglets need our help.
For containing groundhogs, we recommend using a thick towel or blanket to throw on top of each individual. Take care to avoid touching or handling groundhogs without proper protective gear covering your skin. As a highest-risk rabies-vector species, any inappropriate touching by a rescuer may necessitate the animal's euthanasia for testing. Help our patients by being responsible!
Sometimes folks call us wanting us to get rid of groundhogs in their yard. Remember that it is illegal to trap and relocate wildlife in Virginia. We recommend ensuring your garden or other structures impacted by the groundhog are fully fenced, with fencing buried ideally two feet below the ground. That prevents animals like groundhogs and foxes from digging in. Noise and smell deterrents can also help a groundhog get the memo that they're not welcome. A caller once played Justin Bieber on a speaker placed next to their shed, where a groundhog had recently started to burrow. After one day of that, the groundhog relocated itself. No offense, J-Biebs!
An injured groundhog must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian, regardless of its age. Contain the injured animal in a secure, ventilated box and call us at RWS. You may also call the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Groundhogs
Generally, red foxes are raised from birth inside of a den. They do not leave their den until they are approximately 8 weeks old and capable of taking small trips with their mother. As they grow and develop, they may spend more time adventuring without mom's supervision. At approximately six months of age, fox kits disperse in search of their own territory.
If you suspect that a fox kit has been orphaned, give us a call before capturing them and bringing them in for rehabilitation.If you encounter an eyes-closed kit in your yard with no known den in sight, in most cases, that baby should be contained and brought to the Sanctuary. If you encounter one or more healthy eyes-open young kits in your yard, please leave them alone to see if their mother is nearby or will retrieve them for a minimum of 3 hours. However, if you see a young fox kit that appear lethargic, uncoordinated, or covered in ectoparasites, it's likely a true orphan situation and that animal needs to come to RWS.
The most common reasons why kits become orphaned are because their mother was hit by a car or was shot. If you encounter kits that seem young, please note whether there are any deceased adults on the road nearby or if your neighbors ever shoot foxes on their property. This information can help us determine if the kits you've encountered need our help.
For containing foxes, we recommend using a thick towel or blanket to throw on top of each individual. Take care to avoid touching or handling foxes without proper protective gear covering your skin. Wear thick welding gloves, long sleeves, and long pants. Foxes are a highest-risk rabies-vector species, and any inappropriate touching by a rescuer may necessitate the animal's euthanasia for testing. Help our patients by being responsible during their rescue!
An injured fox must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian, regardless of its age. Contain the injured animal in a secure, ventilated box and call us at RWS. You may also call the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Foxes
Generally, though, if you encounter a small hairless or fuzzy bat, note where it was found and look for evidence of a colony nearby. Is it on the ground outside, underneath a gap in the roof where you've seen bats enter and exit from? If so, you can attempt to reunite a healthy bat pup with its colony:
- Place a microfiber cloth on top of a pool skimmer or ladder, right up underneath the entrance to the colony.
- Wearing thick gloves, place the baby onto the towel so it can cling. Provide a warm rice sock next to it for supplemental heat.
- If mom does not come and retrieve the baby within 4 hours, call RWS or Bat Conservation and Rescue of Virginia - our wonderful friends in bat rehabilitation! It will likely need to come in for care.
If there is no known colony nearby, you may try putting the baby out on a ladder placed where it was found. Moms do occasionally drop their babies, but they are good at finding them again. In fact, bat moms can recognize their own pup's unique vocalizations even in large maternity colonies!
If you encounter an adult bat in a strange place, like on your window screen, don't panic. Bats sometimes pick silly spots for sleeping! If the bat is not gone after the next night passes, call us or Bat Conservation and Rescue of Virginia. Plus, keep in mind that seeing a bat (or any nocturnal mammal, for that matter) during the daytime does not mean it is rabid or ill.
For containing bats, we recommend using a small cloth to throw on top of the bat. Wear thick gloves, long sleeves, and long pants. Bats are a highest-risk rabies-vector species, and any inappropriate touching by a rescuer may necessitate the animal's euthanasia for testing. Help our patients by being responsible during their rescue!
If you suspect a bat is injured, regardless of its age, it needs to be seen by a wildlife veterinarian. Give us a call!
BATS
Duis arcu tortor, suscipt eget, imperdiet nec.
If you encounter a fawn that is vocalizing, restless, running around, covered in ectoparasites, or shaking/visibly wet, call the Wildlife Center of Virginia rather than waiting through a reuniting period.
It is illegal in Virginia to rehabilitate adult deer. According to VDWR regulations, a fawn becomes an adult deer on December 31st of the year it was born. If you encounter an injured adult deer, call your local non-emergency police line. The best option for that animal is to be humanely dispatched by a licensed officer or game warden.
Due to Chronic Wasting Disease, fawns may not be rehabilitated if they originate from Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, Warren, Culpeper, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Rappahannock, Carroll, Floyd, Montgomery, or Pulaski Counties.
Deer
If you encounter an infant mouse, provide it with an external heat source like a warm rice sock. Call the Sanctuary for advice based on the baby's developmental age. We will most likely recommend attempting to reunite it with mom, assuming it has no visible injuries. Leave it where you found it, ideally in a shallow container, for a minimum of three hours unless otherwise instructed. We may recommend that you leave the baby in that position overnight in some cases, because their mom is most likely to be active during the nighttime. Reduce all foot traffic in the area, including children and pets, during the renesting attempt. If the baby is still there after our recommending reunion period, it should come in to the Sanctuary for care.
An injured adult or infant native mouse must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian. Contain the injured animal in a secure, ventilated box and call us at RWS. You may also call the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Keep in mind that RWS is not a wildlife removal service. If you have native mice nesting in your home, the most effective way to prevent further activity is to investigate possible entryways and seal them. It is illegal to trap and relocate wildlife in Virginia as well. RWS is not able to rehabilitate invasive mice, like house mice. Not all mice found inside homes are house mice, though, so always best to give us a call if you encounter a mouse in need!
Native
Mice
If there is no obvious nest nearby, consider making your own nest. You can ratchet strap a small basket, filled with sticks, leaves, or linens, to the nearest tree. Provide an external heat source, like a warm rice sock. Observe the "nest" for the next 3-4 hours, looking for fresh feces in the nest or on the ground underneath it. Feces would indicate its parents have located the baby and are continuing to provide care.
If renesting is not a possibility, healthy nestlings should come into rehabilitative care. Call the Sanctuary!
If the little bird has feathers with just a bit of downy fluff showing, it’s more than likely a healthy fledgling bird. They spend a few days on the ground after jumping from their nest, learning how to fly while being cared for by their parents still. Simply leave the bird where it is, and check back in 2 hours to see if there are fresh feces nearby. If it passes “the poop test” (a very scientific term, of course), it means mom and dad are still caring for it and intervention is not necessary. No dice? Call RWS!
If you encounter a bird that is clearly injured, contain it in a ventilated box and call RWS. Remember that any bird that has struck a window must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian, even if it looks okay to you.
A special note regarding woodpeckers: these birds have barbed tongues, and they must not be kept in a box with any kind of linen or looped terrycloth. Their tongues may become stuck to the linen. Simply line the ventilated box with newspaper or paper towels if you need to keep a woodpecker safe en route to a wildlife rehabilitator.
Songbirds
If you encounter a lone waterfowl baby or a group of them, observe your surroundings: is there a pond nearby? Are there any adult ducks around? If their mother is still caring for them, she will likely return to them within 30-60 minutes once she perceives potential threats are gone. Baby waterfowl can also be successfully cared for within a larger group of ducks or geese, as long as adults of that species are present. If the babies are still alone during that timeframe, please carefully collect them and call the Sanctuary.
If you encounter a lone baby waterfowl swimming, keep in mind that they are not able to successfully waterproof their own feathers when they are hatchlings. Thus, the 30-60 minute timeframe might be dangerous due to the risk of hypothermia. Call RWS and we can help you assess whether the baby you've encountered needs help.
If you encounter an injured duck or goose of any age, it must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian. Call RWS, or call your nearest wildlife center.
Due to the current prevalence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, take great care to wear PPE when containing and transporting waterfowl in need of rehab. Wear gloves, a mask, and gowns when possible. Sanitize any container used for the waterfowl using a 1:10 bleach solution, and wash any linens used with a bleach solution as well.
Waterfowl
Generally, though, if you have encountered a fluffy hatchling raptor, look for signs of a nest in the trees above or adult raptors of that species nearby. If possible, put the baby back into its nest. Wear thick gloves while doing so. If you cannot access the nest, you can create a makeshift nest for the baby out of a milk crate and leaf litter. Here's an example from when we successfully made a new nest for some grounded Great-horned Owls! The baby's parents did indeed come to care for the owl in its new milk crate "nest." It is a myth that parents will reject a baby bird if you've touched it.
If you encounter a raptor that is mostly feathered with little to no downy fluff visible, it is likely a healthy fledgling raptor. Observe the bird from afar for a couple of hours, noting whether you see any adults of that species nearby. If the baby is not moving and you do not see any activity - or if the chick does not move overnight - call the Sanctuary to discuss the situation. We may recommend you bring it in to the Sanctuary.
If you encounter an injured raptor of any age, it must be seen by a wildlife veterinarian. Call RWS, or call your nearest wildlife center.
Due to the current prevalence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, take great care to wear PPE when containing and transporting raptors in need of rehab. Wear gloves, a mask, and gowns when possible. Sanitize any container used for the waterfowl using a 1:10 bleach solution, and wash any linens used with a bleach solution as well.
Raptors
What we can do:
What we can't do:
- Provide the highest standard of professional wildlife care possible for every patient that comes through our doors.
- Rehab most species native to Virginia, including some few other rehabbers work with: raccoons, foxes, bats, skunks, groundhogs, and waterfowl.
- Help determine if the animal you've encountered needs help - and what kind of help it needs.
- Empower folks to safely and confidently navigate wildlife crisis situations.
- Release healed animals back into their rightful habitats. It's the closest thing to magic we know!
- Rehabilitate invasive species, including: House Sparrows, European Starlings, nutria, feral swine, house mice, roof rats, pigeons, etc.
- Provide long-term care for bears, deer, or eagles. We can admit these species temporarily but will arrange transport to a facility permitted to work with those species.
- Come out and catch animals in the field. We usually have too many patients needing care on site, and we rely on the public to help us by containing animals and bringing them to us. We do have volunteer transporters who can help drive patients where they need to go.
Zoonotic Disease
Rabies is a deadly virus that can infect mammals. The most common method of transmission is through a bite wound. Any mammal (including humans) can contract rabies. In nearly all cases, rabies is fatal. Prevention is key, and prevention is easy!
In Virginia, there are five high-risk rabies species: raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, and groundhogs (woodchucks). Extreme caution should be taken when assisting these animals. According to the Virginia Department of Health, beavers, opossums, and coyotes are also species of special concern. If you find an injured or orphaned individual from one of these species, contain it wearing thick gloves, long sleeves, long pants, closed-toed shoes, and use a towel or blanket to cover the animal and scoot it into a box or crate. Don't bottle-feed that cute baby! We understand you might want to help, but any contact with saliva could be a potential exposure. Do not directly touch the animal in any way. Any direct contact may result in the animal needing to be euthanized for testing.
There is no single set of indications that an animal may have rabies. Since it is a neurological disease, rabies can manifest itself many ways. While the stereotypical “furious form” (aggressive behavior, foaming at the mouth) is one manifestation of rabies, infected animals more commonly display the paralytic form of rabies, which is exhibited through lethargy, loss of balance, loss of fear of humans or other animals, and general depression. However, those same depressed signs can also indicate distemper (more common than rabies) or head trauma from an injury. It’s also important to note that a mammal may have rabies and not yet be exhibiting any symptoms. Simply seeing a nocturnal, high-risk rabies species out during the day is not an indication of rabies. Usually, it just means the animal is looking for food or is in search of a new spot to rest after being spooked out of its former spot.
If you have been bitten by a mammal or exposed to a potentially rabid mammal, seek medical treatment immediately. If your pet has been exposed to a potentially rabid mammal, call your veterinarian for further advice.
If you suspect an animal may have rabies, call your local animal control unit for further assessment. Do not approach the animal.
A disease that can jump from animals to humans or from humans to animals.
Rabies
Mange
Have you heard of scabies? That's mange! Sarcoptic mange is a disease caused by the same parasitic mite that causes scabies in humans. When these mites infest an individual's skin, they cause severe irritation, itching, crusting, fur loss, and may cause death over time. Humans actually passed mange to wildlife!
Mange can infect many species of mammal, but in Virginia, it's most commonly seen in red foxes and black bears. It's also infected coyotes, squirrels, and raccoons. "Mangey" animals might be more likely to appear during the daytime.
The good news is that mange is very treatable! If you encounter a suspected mange case, it's vital to get that animal to a wildlife veterinarian for further assessment. Sometimes, what looks like mange to the untrained eye is actually a different disease, only diagnosable via a skin scrape test.
That's one of the reasons why it is illegal to medicate wildlife on your own. Do not leave out Ivermectin or other anti-parasitic medications in an attempt to help a suspected mangey animal. Instead, focus on safely containing that animal. Usually, the easiest way to do so is to use a live, harm-free trap like a Havahart trap. This may take several days, but don't give up! Once you've safely contained the animal, you can call RWS and plan to bring the entire trap to the Sanctuary or to your nearest wildlife rehabilitation center. We can ensure the animal is seen and treated by a wildlife veterinarian. Hopefully, you'll have the pleasure of releasing your rescued animal after it recovers at the Sanctuary!
Because mange can jump between humans and animals, take care to cover the crate during transport to a licensed rehab facility. Immediately wash any clothes or materials that may have come into contact with the animal. Use a 1:10 bleach solution to disinfect surfaces.
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