AFTER HOURS
Drop offs are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
If you have a wild animal in need, call 919-619-0776 during business hours, DO NOT text, email or send us messages, they will not be answered.
Understand that our phone system deletes messages left when we are closed. If you need to reach us, please call during business hours.
If you have found an animal that you believe to be in need during non-business hours, please follow the advice below. Please DO NOT give food or water prior to speaking with a licensed rehabber. Most can go well over 12 hours before it becomes an issue. Improper feeding is much more dangerous than hunger.
Please do not drop animals off at a veterinarian's office. Veterinarians are not licensed or permitted to keep wildlife. They don't have time to bring them to us and we do not have time or resources to pick them up. Dropping them off may leave no choice but euthanisia.
COYOTES or TURKEYS
It is NOT LEGAL for anybody in the state of North Carolina to rehabilitate COYOTES or TURKEYS. If you are worried about one of these species, the only advice we can give is the call your local Animal Control department. If you leave a message about any of these species, we will NOT return your call.
BATS
CLAWS is not currently rehabilitating bats. Please go to ncwildlife.org and find a rehabilitator that is.
If you found a domestic animal, by state law, you must call your local animal control, not us.
For all species, please read our Found A Baby page to be sure the animal is truly in need. If you believe it is, then keep reading.
We also have many flyers to explain how to know if an animal is truly in need or what to do if they are on our FLYERS page.
Water Babies:
Otters, beavers, ducklings and goslings should NOT be put in water this could lead to death. Please keep them in a box,with a towel or dry washcloth underneath, in a warm, dry place until morning. Handling can cause stress, please do not handle more than absolutely necessary.
For Bunnies, Opossums or Squirrels:
DO NOT attempt to give food or water!
If you are in Orange County, please keep the animal in a box with a towel or dry cloth under it, keep it in a warm, dry place away from pets and children and DO NOT give it any food or water. You can keep them on a heating pad set to LOW, under half of whatever you are keeping them in, so that they can move if needed.
Call us in the morning so that we can determine the best course of action.
If you are outside of Orange County, please go to www.ncwildlife.org to find a rehabber in your county.
For Foxes, Raccoons, Skunks, Bats:
DO NOT attempt to give food or water!
If the animal is an adult call 919-707-0040, press 1 when it answers and report it to the Wildlife Commission. Do NOT try to handle an adult of any of these species yourself.
If the animal is a baby, put the animal in a box using heavy gloves or hold a box sideways next to the animal and scooch it into the box with a broom, shovel or stick, etc.
Please keep the animal in a box with a towel or dry cloth under it, keep it in a warm, dry place away from pets and children and DO NOT give it any food or water. You can keep them on a heating pad set to LOW, under half of whatever you are keeping them in, so that they can move if needed.
Call us in the morning so that we can determine the best course of action.
For Otters, Beavers or Bobcats:
DO NOT attempt to give food or water!
If the animal is an adult, keep an eye on it and call us in the morning or you can call 919-707-0040, press 1 when it answers and report it to the Wildlife Commission. Do NOT try to handle an adult of any of these species yourself.
If the animal is a baby, please keep it in a box with a towel or dry cloth under it, keep it in a warm, dry place away from pets and children and DO NOT give it any food or water. You can keep them on a heating pad set to LOW, under half of whatever you are keeping them in, so that they can move if needed.
Call us in the morning so that we can determine the best course of action.
For Raptors, Vultures and Great Blue Herons:
Raptors include owls, hawks, eagles and falcons.
DO NOT attempt to give food or water!
If you have picked up the animal, please keep it in a box, in a warm, dry and dark place away from pets and children and DO NOT offer it any food or water. Do NOT put these birds on heat. Warm, ambient air is all they need.
Do not attempt to handle great blue herons, they are incredibly dangerous.
Call us in the morning so that we can determine the best course of action.
If you are not able to pick the animal up, please check on it in the morning to be sure it is still there and give us a call.
For Songbirds:
DO NOT put birds on heat! DO NOT attempt to give food or water!
It is important to remember, songbirds do not eat after dark, they shut down making eating or drinking unnecessary.
Please keep it in a box, in a warm, dry and dark place away from pets and children and DO NOT offer it any food or water. Keep it as DARK of a place as possible. Do NOT put songbirds on heat, doing so can be deadly. Being in a house should be plenty warm enough. Being in the dark is the most important part of this, birds will shutdown, as they do at night and not need food or water.
DO NOT feed them or put anything at all in their mouth.
Call us in the morning so that we can determine the best course of action.
For Hummingbirds:
It is important to remember, hummingbirds do not eat after dark, they shut down making eating or drinking unnecessary.
If it is still light out when you find the bird and the bird is alert and aware, mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar, offer this to the bird on a teaspoon every 5 minutes. If the bird is simply exhausted, it should be flying within 45 minutes. If the bird is injured, please follow the same instructions as for songbirds. Remember, the dark is the most important part of this.
Call us in the morning so that we can determine the best course of action.
For Waterfowl:
If there are ducks or geese in parking lots in the spring and summer months, chances are they are nesting and must be left alone. As with all native birds, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Interfering with them or their nest is against federal law.
If ducks or geese can get into the water, capturing them, even if they are injured won't be possible.
If you see a wing issue, note if the wing is stable or flopping, if it is flopping, the bird needs help. If it is sticking out but in the same position, the bird most likely has Angel Wing, a condition caused by poor diet due to humans feeding and cannot be fixed. Thankfully, these birds do not have to fly to survive. Leaving them where they are found is the best thing to do.
If they are seriously injured, please place them in a box with a towel under them, keep them in a warm, dry place, but do not provide extra heat other than the ambient temperature of your home and call when we open the next day.
Deer:
Please understand, nobody is allowed to help adult deer in the state of North Carolina. If you are concerned about an adult deer, please call the state wildlife commission.
Fawn:
Mom leaves her baby "parked" most of the time for the first two months. If you find a baby alone, either laying down in a curled up position, it is most likely fine and should be left alone. If you find a baby that is either laid out, flat, legs and head completely away from the body, or has flies swarming around it, or has been FRANTICALLY screaming for over an hour, that fawn needs help. Please do not chase it, this alone could kill the animal. If you can quietly capture the fawn, keep it in a warm, dry place, away from pets and children and do NOT offer it any food or water.
Go to this page to find a properly permitted fawn rehabilitator www.ncwildlife.org
