RESCUE
The Last Resort recieves thousands of urgent calls each year, many through our 24/7 Wildlife Hotline. From concerned residents, animal control, even vet offices who have an orphaned, sick or injured wild animal who needs help!
We quickly assess the situation and determine the best way to help. Sometimes, we can educate the caller and handle the situation without the animal needing to actually come into care. Captivity and human care should always be a "Last Resort" for wildlife.
Sometimes its neccesary. The stress of captivity sometimes can do more harm than good. We always have to weigh the risk vs reward when making those decisions to bring an animal into care.
For example, when we get a call about orphaned babies, sometimes its an emergency, especially if they havent had mom for a couple days and are weak, hungry and dehydrated and sometimes its a good samaritan that has "kidnapped" a baby thinking it was abandoned. Whenever there is any possiblity that we can safely reunite those babies with their mom, we will spend hours or even days on trying to do exactly that! We reunite dozens of moms and babies each year. Its ALWAYS in their best interests to stay with mom, whenever possible.
If the animal is visibly in distress, actively bleeding, injured, seriously ill, has flystrike on it, or is just unresponsive, or a baby with no mom in site for long periods, they need to come into care. Each situation is different. Please dont assume, call a local wildlife rehabber to determine the best course of action. Please dont attempt to care for the baby yourself and NEVER try to give it any food or water.
WHAT TO DO
if you find an injured or orphaned animal!