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What to Do? You have found an injured wild animal, or worse yet, an infant wild animal. What do you do now? Taking care of a wild animal is nothing like taking care of a domestic pet. In order to properly care for this animal you must have knowledge of its natural history, its nutritional requirements, and medical experience to heal its injuries. Most veterinarians do not treat wild animals because they know very little about them. And you would have to pay the bill if the vet did treat that animal. Twenty years ago wildlife rehabilitation was a loose knit group of compassionate people who wanted to help these animals. There was no training and most rehabilitation was conducted in the individuals home. But this field has sparked the interest of many and now wildlife rehabilitation is an exact profession that requires training and dedication. Wildlife rehabilitators (rehabbers) must be licensed by the state and federal government. Most rehabbers have been trained by other professional rehabbers and continue their education through membership in rehabilitation organizations such as the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) or the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. The sole goal of rehabbers is to return the injured or orphaned animal back to the wild healthy and free. When you take one of these unfortunate animals and try to care for them yourself you may be doing more harm than good. Sure you may be successful in raising that baby squirrel, but it is not healthy to raise a baby squirrel by itself. How do you keep the baby from "imprinting" on you? If it imprints it will not survive in the wild. Do you really want that animal that should be following its instincts become your "pet"? How do you know how much to feed it, let alone what to feed it? Just because they are cute does not give you the right to try to raise it. When you find that baby you have to ask yourself "am I keeping it to make it feel better, or to make me feel better?" Think about the welfare of the animal, not yourself. There are many rehabbers out there, you just have to find one near you! Below are some links that should help you find someone if you need a rehabber. When e-mailing someone let them know your location, this can help them help you better! WildlifeRehabber.com: General Wildlife Information The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory Rehabilitation Centers and Information Home About WildARC From The WildARC Stats Wild Profiles! Links Education Support Shopping Seasonal Information email us at: info@wildarc.org Last Updated On : 03/03/2008
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