Imagine you’re driving down a winding road when you spot an injured possum. Your instincts might tell you to hit the brakes, check what’s wrong and bundle it into your car. Research shows many of us want to help wild animals in distress. This may be out of empathy, obligation or simply wanting to do the right thing.
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I have some issues with this article, which is a bit disappointing, as I like phys.org.
People should get to know who their local wildlife rehabber is before you encounter an injured animal, just like you’d learn where your other local emergency services are located. I’ve got a bunch of links on the sidebar of !superbowl@lemmy.world to try to help you find your local rehabs anywhere in the world. You’re going to want to verify whatever you find, as they can have a lot of closures since it’s a grueling job that doesn’t pay or even fund itself, and many rescues are an individual or couple sometimes working out of their own home.
When you come across an animal, try to call the rehab first. They will give you the best advice. Sometimes they are hard to get in touch with, but again, small operations with very limited staff and it can be as hectic as a human hospital. The clinic I volunteer at treats over 5000 animals annually. Many animals may look like they need help, but may not, and you might separate them from their family, or like the article mentions, they may have a disease that can affect you or your pets. I see rabies is not a thing in Australia, but in the US, if you touch one of the 8 rabies prone species, we may have to euthanize them even if they are 100% healthy so we can make sure the person is safe.
If you feel you must handle the animal, try to catch it and wrap it in a towel or get it into a box with minimum contact, for both your sakes. Stress is a top killer of already injured wildlife. Give them a calm, dark space, where they can’t further their injures. NEVER give food or water for any reason! They have different anatomy, so you can aspirate them, give them foods that make them sicker than they are, or delay us being able to give them anesthesia among other things.
And just don’t try to fix them yourself. It’s usually illegal, you don’t have training, you don’t know their proper diet, and you can get hurt or hurt your family/pets. We’re here for a reason.
I ran over a groundhog the other day. He did the squirrel thing. Stopped in the middle of the road, waited until I drove slowly past, then darted under me and got clipped. I wanted to stop and backup and finish the job because that’s the right thing to do, but I couldn’t do it.
I should have, but I was right next to my job with coworkers going past and I didn’t want to look like a psycho. Blah. Too worried about what others think to give the guy a mercy kill…
