​Have you found an injured wild animal? Maybe you found a possibly lost or abandoned baby animal? Have you seen or found a wild animal and are concerned or
​unsure of what you are seeing or what to do?

For immediate emergencies, contact your local animal control agency or wildlife officer. You can find contact information for local animal control agencies in the Triangle Area on our ​EMERGENCY page under Need Assistance. If it is not an emergency you can email us at zoorescueec@gmail.com, send us a message through our contact page, or send us a message utilizing Facebook messenger. Please be advised that it may take a short while to receive a response in most cases. In order for us to contact you directly please provide us with a phone number to call you at. 

Basic guidelines for when dealing with an injured, sick, or orphaned animal:

Step 1- Do not touch or approach a wild animal without first seeking guidance and instruction from a professional

Step 2- Contact the professionals. Taking the right steps and receiving proper information can be the difference between life or death for the animal along with your safety. 

Step 3- Stay calm and collected and follow the directions you are given if you are comfortable and able to do so.

Step 4- Work with the professional responding.

Why shouldn't you touch an injured wild animal?

There are multiple reasons to not touch wild animals. The four big reasons are disease, abnormal behaviors, stress and injury to yourself. Wild animals are capable of transmitting various types of diseases to humans or domesticated pets (dogs/cats). 

Diseases

Rabies

• The main disease concern when discussing wildlife.
• It is 100% fatal if a human contracts the virus.
• Mammals are the species that carry the rabies virus, but some species are at higher risk than others of transmitting it to humans. 

common rabies vector species: skunks, bats, foxes, bobcats, raccoons

If you touch a rabies vector species, so any of the above animals or others, even with the best of intentions it has fatal consequences for the animal and could for you. In the state of North Carolina, if an individual comes in contact with a wild animal capable of transmitting rabies or if there is any suspicion that has occurred, state law requires that the animal be sent for rabies testing. Testing requires that the animal be humanely euthanized and brain tissue submitted to the ​NC State Laboratory of Public Health. There is no alternative testing available for rabies. 

Other important diseases of note:
Anthrax, Arbovirus encephalitis, Brucellosis, Giardiasis, Hantavirus, Hendra Virus, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Histoplasmosis, Leptospirosis, Lyme Disease, Monkeypox, Mycotoxicosis, Nipah Virus, Psittacosis, Q Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Salmonella, Sylvatic Plague, Tularemia, Typhus, & West Nile Virus.

Abnormal Behavior

Abnormal behavior can result in wild animals as a result of disease or injury. The animals can appear docile, unusually friendly, or aggressive. If the animal is approaching humans willingly, then animal control or wildlife officers should be contacted immediately. At no point should an animal be picked up even if it is acting docile because at any moment that could change resulting in injuries to humans or the possibility of disease being transmitted from the animal to the individuals handling it. 

Stress

Wild animals do not see humans as rescuers when they are sick or injured. In fact, a wild animal can become so stressed out by handling that it can be fatal for them. When this occurs, it is known as capture myopathy. Thus, it is important to not hold, pat, or cuddle wildlife. It is also important to not have people group around the animal watching it because that can be very stressful to an animal. Keeping eyes on the animal's location though is helpful and best accomplished by staying out of their direct eyesight. 

In some instances, a professional may ask you to take certain steps to try and reduce an animal's stress. These steps should only be undertaken after speaking with a professional and if you are comfortable following their directions. 

Injuries

When wildlife are handled incorrectly there is a greater risk of injury to either the animal or the individual handling it. It is recommended to leave direct handling of the animals to the professionals unless they have directed you to take certain steps. Wild animals can inflict incredible injuries if they feel scared or threatened. Birds of prey have talons and beaks, deer have powerful legs and antlers, and anything with teeth can bite. These injuries can range from a mild scratch to severe injuries such as broken bones or worse. Incorrect handling of a wild animal can also inadvertently worsen an injury or cause a new injury.

Additional Important things

• Do not offer food or water unless a professional instructs you to do so. Some food items are toxic to certain species. In most cases an animal will be too stressed to eat. If an animal is skinny and doesn't look well, it needs to be evaluated by trained veterinary staff to determine the cause of being underweight. Also, feeding any animal that is not healthy can have unwanted consequences some of which can be fatal. 

• In addition to disease, animals carry internal and external parasites. Some of these parasites can be transmitted between humans and wildlife. These parasites can also be transmitted to your own pets, so it is important to consult with professionals before potentially exposing yourself or your animals to anything.