A bird bumping into a window, a badger hit by a car or a small wild boar lost… Faced with the physical or psychological distress of animals, we are often helpless. However, when we are faced with these situations, it is necessary to react quickly. To help you make the right choices, we have therefore sought advice from nature conservation organisations. A precious word from experts.
The first steps
First, start by analyzing the animal’s behavior. If he seems anxious or aggressive, stay away. An animal in danger can be dangerous even to those who come to its aid. In this case, contact the town hall, the gendarmerie or the police station to report the animal. The pound services will arrange for it to be collected and taken care of with due care.
If the animal is willing to be approached, start moving it away from any source of danger (road, predator, etc.). If possible, wear gloves, † Carefully move the animal to a quiet place in the shade, if possible in a transport crate or perforated box. Keep handling to the strict minimum »specifies the SPA on its site.
Whatever the condition of the animal, you should under no circumstances try to heal or feed it yourself. Contact a wildlife rescue center directly, who will care for the injured animal.
Can we take in a wild animal?
Taking care of an injured wild animal? This is a good intention. However, this is strictly forbidden, reminds the ASPAS, the association for the protection of wildlife, on its website. Indeed, “The retention and transportation of wild animals, whether hunted or protected, alive or dead, is prohibited without the prefecture’s approval. †
So even if your goal is to help the animal in question, the law doesn’t allow you to pick it up from your home or put it in your car. However, there is still a tolerance for individuals transporting an injured animal in their vehicle to a wildlife rescue center.
Who to contact?
The Wildlife Sanctuaries authorized to care for such animals. In their buildings, they house and care for injured animals and are responsible for reintroducing them to their natural environment. There are more than twenty in all of France. To find the nearest center to you, visit their website here. Before contacting the secretariat of the antenna in your area, check whether the animal is in distress.
Depending on the animal’s condition, the volunteer will tell you what to do. How to transport the animal? What first aid steps should you give him? Can it be fed safely?
If the wildlife sanctuary is saturated, which happens very often, you can turn to other organizations listed by the Saint Bernard Fund:
- The LPO (League for the Protection of Birds) or a UFCS-affiliated rescue center
- The Hunting Federation Division (ONCFS)
- The Departmental Directorate of Veterinary Services (DDPP). Public Services Directory.
- The Regional Directorate for the Environment (DREAL)
- In the absence of this, the gendarmerie or the fire brigade can also inform you.
To note : If the injured or stray animal is a pet (dog, cat, horse or NAC: ferret, rabbit, chinchilla…), contact the nearest vet, the town hall, the gendarmerie or the police station
What if a baby seems to be lost?
The desire to do well can sometimes do more damage than anything else. This is especially true when people come to the rescue of a wild animal that appears to them to be abandoned. Indeed, as ASPAS points out, “It is advisable to leave it there, the mother may have just been absent. Picking up a young person without necessity condemns him to health problems (inappropriate care, food or detention conditions) and/or to life in captivity (inability to survive alone, excessive human fertilization). †
Animals and people do not behave the same. We must therefore learn to see things from a new perspective.
As for birds, the Association for the Protection of Wildlife Recalls that if a baby bird touched by a person is not likely to be abandoned by its parents, as legend has it, there is still a moderate risk. . It is therefore strongly recommended to “measuring the need to deal with it properly or not.”
Did this article help you? Also learn what to do if you come face to face with a stray dog.