Very informative document on how to conduct wildlife rescue and transport in the best manner possible. Covers how to handle and restrain a huge number of animals, as well as equipment needed, zoonotic diseases, and how to avoid injury, amongst other information.
Wildlife Rescue & Transport
Do you have the proper equipment?
Avoid physical contact where possible (e.g. herding)
Ensure you are not endangering yourself or other members of the public (i.e. at the side of the
highway)
Is the rescuer aware of zoonotic concerns?
Are there any public safety issues?
Minimizing stress for the animal:
Bring pets and children inside
Keep warm, dark, and quiet
No peeking!
No food and water
Is heat therapy necessary? Unless you are concerned about the animal’s body temperature
being too high, heat therapy can be applied.
Transport animal ASAP
General Guidelines:
Birds:
Use cardboard box with air holes- ensure box is appropriate size for bird, not too big so that
they try and fly around or too small so that they don’t fit
Don’t use bird cage- may injure themselves on wire and is difficult to keep dark
Mammals:
Evaluate on individual basis
Reptiles:
Turtles: plastic storage container (no lid)
Snapping Turtle- use caution
Snakes: pillow cases, plastic storage containers, trash container
Conducting a Physical Exam
Ways to reduce stress:
Wear gloves
Prepare in advance
Diminish sensory perception
No talking! (Also important for transporting animals as well as no radio, keep windows up, no
smoking)
No visual contact with predators or prey
Be careful about potential for disease transmission
Work with a partner
Handling and Restraint Equipment
Catch Pole
Nets
Towels
Gloves (Latex, Leather, Kevlar)- Standard protection, should be used whenever handling wildlife
Safety goggles- Standard protection
Snake hook
, Wildlife Handling & Restraint
Other tools as needed (sometimes you have to improvise)
Health and Safety Concerns
Bites
Scratches
Zoonotic Disease
Parasite Transfer
Muscle Strain
Eye Injury
Zoonotic Diseases
Used to identify any disease transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans
Can occur by:
Direct transmission- via contact with the animal, its saliva, its urine, or its feces
Indirect transmission- via air, soil, or water contaminated by infectious agent
General Guidelines to Avoid Exposure
Always wear gloves
Use appropriate safety equipment and proper techniques
Practice good hygiene
Clean and disinfect all areas animal was housed or examined- Throw away used bedding, don’t
just wash and reuse
Examine and house animal in well-ventilated area
When Exposure Occurs
In all situations, the individual must consult their physician and public health officials
Human health must always be the primary consideration
Zoonotic Disease in Wildlife
Lyme Disease- Spread by a tick from reservoirs such as mice and deer
Aspergillosis- Caused by a fungus particularly common in the respiratory systems of aquatic
birds and transmitted by the inhalation of spores
Tularemia- Caused by bacteria common in rabbits, also spread through bites from parasites
Leptospirosis- Caused by bacteria which is common in urine and feces, particularly in raccoons
Was previously eradicated in Ontario through vaccination in dogs but because it
wasn’t around, people stopped vaccinating their pets and it came back
Can cause red eyes, stomach pain, diarrhea, eventually jaundice
Tuberculosis- Caused by bacteria which can be present in deer and elk
Airborne- respiratory illness
Looks like a cold at first, can lead to weight loss symptoms and respiratory
trouble
Powassan- Caused by a virus which can be found in ticks on woodchucks
No treatment due to viral cause
10% of infected people die
Salmonella- Caused by bacteria that is common to many animals
Particularly prevalent in reptiles
Three additional zoonoses of which wildlife care workers must be particularly mindful are:
Rabies
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