Most people don’t realize that keeping any wildlife is illegal unless you have the proper licenses to do so. If you find a baby animal you need to keep it in a warm, dark, quiet place and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Handle the baby the least amount possible. Improper care and handling can compromise the baby’s health, recovery and chances for eventual release. Wildlife at any age is severely stressed in a human’s care. What we see as comfort, such as holding and cuddling, they see as a life threatening situation. This stress can have serious impact on their health and can even be fatal.

Helpful information

I found a mammal

I found a bird

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do to help wildlife?
Here are some of the easiest and yet the best things you can do to help wildlife:
1. Keep your cats indoors. Cats are not natural predators. They are the second only to habitat destruction as the cause of the decline of songbird populations. Many animals come to us after being attacked by cats. Due to the infectious nature of cat bites most of these injuries are fatal. In addition, being outside is not good for the cat either. They are in danger of being hit by cars, poisoned and in general live shorter lives. It is a myth that if a cat is well fed or wearing a bell it will not hunt or be able to catch anything. Belled, well fed and even declawed cats are still able to catch and kill many birds and small mammals. Visit www.abcbirds.org/cats for more information.

2. Cover your window wells. Many creatures fall in window wells and either die or are injured in the fall. Some are trapped there until they starve to death. An open window well creates a hazard for humans and pets as well as wildlife.

3. Other than bird feeders do not feed wildlife. Wildlife will reproduce based upon the food sources available. If you are feeding wildlife you are creating unnatural food sources and encouraging potentially dangerous interactions between humans and wildlife and between wildlife itself.

4. Clean your bird feeders. Keep your bird feeders as clean as you would a pet’s food dish. Dirty feeders can cause the spread of contagious diseases. This year we saw a huge outbreak of conjunctivitis among the songbirds as a result of dirty bird feeders.

5. Never release a domestic animal to the wild. These animals are unable to care for themselves. They will most likely starve to death or be eaten by a wild predator. If they are lucky enough to survive they can potentially cause a biologically destructive situation by interacting and breeding with a wild population.
For all other questions, please call us at 630-365-3800.

I love to go to the river and feed the ducks and geese what should I be giving them?
NOTHING. Feeding the ducks and geese is one of the most common problems we see. There are a few reasons why this is bad for them. First, unnatural food, such as bread can become impacted in the bird’s digestive system and cause death. Second, when you feed the waterfowl it brings large numbers of animals competing over a food source within a small area. This in turn causes increased, unnatural aggression between individuals. We have seen many animals come in that have been attacked by others. They are usually very severely injured and most have a slim chance of survival. Also, most animals will reproduce based upon the food sources available. Temporary artificial food sources, such as recreational feeding of the ducks and geese can cause numbers to increase that the environment can’t support.

I found a baby squirrel (duck, raccoon, bird, bunny etc.) and would like to keep it, what should I feed it?
Most people donêt realize that keeping any wildlife is illegal unless you have the proper licenses to do so. If you find a baby animal you need to keep it in a warm, dark, quiet place and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Handle the baby the least amount possible. Improper care and handling can compromise the babyês health, recovery and chances for eventual release. Wildlife at any age is severely stressed in a humanês care. What we see as comfort, such as holding and cuddling, they see as a life threatening situation. This stress can have serious impact on their health and can even be fatal.