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Experts Advise Caution When Trying To Rescue Wild Animals
(NAPSI)-There are a number of factors to consider before trying to adopt or rescue wildlife living in your own neighborhood. Such seemingly kind-hearted intervention could actually harm both you and the animals. "People often bring in wildlife babies to our clinic because they mistakenly think the animals are either orphaned or sick," said Mark Pokras, DVM, director of the Wildlife Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass. "But it is much more likely that the animals’ parents are either hiding from humans or out gathering food to bring back to their babies." The daily activities of animals in the wild are devoted to finding food, water and shelter. Adult eastern cottontail rabbits, for example, feed their young only at dawn and dusk and leave them during the day in order to forage for food. It is not unusual for people to see such young animals waiting for the return of their parents and assume they are in need of assistance. "In most cases, infant wildlife will be fine without human interference," Pokras said. In addition to upsetting healthy animals, well-meaning wildlife rescuers could be at risk for contracting serious diseases like rabies or salmonellosis, which can be carried by animals in the wild. Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection causing diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. You can get it if you don’t carefully wash your hands after handling any animals, especially reptiles. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be bitten to get rabies. Rabies is caused by a virus that lives in the saliva and nerve tissues of infected animals. It is most often transmitted by a bite or scratch, but you can also be exposed if an infected animal’s saliva touches your broken skin, open wound, mouth, nose, or eyes. In some regions of the country rabies occurs among bats, skunks, foxes, woodchucks, or raccoons. Although rabies is unusual in small rodents like squirrels and mice, these animals can carry other diseases and inflict painful bites so you should avoid contact with them as well. Your dog and cat are also at risk if you allow them to go outdoors and don’t keep their rabies vaccinations up-to-date. Cats in particular should probably be kept indoors because of the risks that they will be hit by cars, killed by predators, or exposed to infectious disease. Outdoor cats also can harm native wildlife, especially baby animals. It’s not always possible to tell if wild animals are injured or ill, so avoiding contact with them is the best way to not contract an infectious disease, Pokras advised. It may be, however, appropriate to seek help for wildlife if they are wounded, emaciated or look weak. "When intervention is critical to help a sick or injured wild animal, be sure to get help from your local animal control officer, wildlife rehabilitator, or fish and wildlife agency," Pokras cautioned. "While there are definitely times when such animals should be brought to a wildlife rehabilitator or clinic, it’s always best done by people who have been trained to do this, or who can give you appropriate advice on how to help the animals safely," Pokras added. "Although we appreciate it when people go out of their way to assist wild animals, we don’t want caring people to get sick or injured in the process." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated Tufts’ Wildlife Clinic the official New England treatment center for the care of rare and endangered species. Since the clinic opened in 1983, staff members have treated nearly 30,000 sick and injured birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles from New England and neighboring states. They’re able to accomplish their goal of treating and rehabilitating
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