Injured Wildlife

Injured Wildlife

What do you do if you find injured or orphaned wildlife?

If you find injured, sick or possibly orphaned wildlife, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center or the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for advice before taking action. Proper evaluation of each scenario by an experienced rehabilitator or wildlife biologist will increase the chance of a positive outcome. Also, ensuring public safety around injured wildlife is also important.

Although attending parents are often unseen, most baby animals are not really abandoned or orphaned. Either the wildlife parent left to forage for food and will return or is out of sight nearby, waiting for you to leave. If you are certain it is injured or you have witnessed the death or injury of the parent, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or the ODFW for further instructions.

If needed, keep an eye on the situation to keep pets and people from bothering the wildlife.

If a young bird on the ground is in harm’s way, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or the ODFW for further instructions. The best policy is to leave wildlife young alone.

Under Oregon law, only licensed wildlife rehabilitators may care for injured wildlife. Click here for a contact list of licensed rehabilitators. These partners are not officially endorsed by the High Desert Museum.

The High Desert Museum does not conduct rehab and will not accept live animals. 

For more information contact the Museum’s Curator of Wildlife Jon Nelson at 541-382-4754 ext. 362 or contact us.