ramonamolnar's Journal

If you find sick or injured wildlife, please call a clinic or rehabber to enquire what to do before intervening; what's best to do for the animal is not always obvious. First, here is a list of wildlife clinics in the state and relevant basic information and a website to find individual rehabbers in Massachusetts:

Cape Wildlife Center:
Phone #: +1 (508) 362-0111
Address: 4011 Main St, Barnstable, MA
Website: https://capewildlifecenter.com
Hours: Open 9AM-4PM every day
Notes:

New England Wildlife Center:
Phone #: +1 (781) 682-4878
Address: 500 Columbian St, Weymouth, MA
Website: https://www.newildlife.org
Hours: Open 10AM-2PM weekdays
Notes: Not currently taking birds due to HPAI

Tufts Wildlife Clinic:
Phone #: +1 (508) 839-7918
Address: 50 Willard St, North Grafton, MA
Website: https://vet.tufts.edu/tufts-wildlife-clinic
Hours: Open 8AM-5PM every day
Notes: Does not have facilities to keep raccoons; sick or injured raccoons will likely be euthanized.

Wild Care:
Phone #: +1 (508) 240-2255
Address: 10 Smith Ln, Eastham, MA
Website: https://www.wildcarecapecod.org
Hours: Open 9AM-5PM every day
Notes:

Individual Rehabbers:
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/find-a-wildlife-rehabilitator

Important Notes:

• If possible, NEVER touch wildlife with your bare hands! Use a towel or other linen if available, especially with rabies vector species, although it would be preferable for you to call your local animal control officer for rabies vectors and other particularly dangerous animals (such as bears and eagles). Animal Rescue League may also help.
• Children should not handle wildlife. If you are a child who has found a sick/injured wild animal, find an adult who can help you to handle it.
• If you have an animal in need of medical attention while no clinics are open, keep the animal in a box in a warm, dry, & quiet place for the night (except rabies vectors; see first bullet point) and leave a message for the clinic for the next day. They will get back to you the next morning.
• If you find a baby animal, leave it alone unless it's visibly sick or injured (then call a clinic). If you know for certain a baby animal is an orphan (e.g. parent found dead nearby), bring it to a rehabilitator if available and a clinic if no rehabilitator who cares for the species is available nearby.
• The rabies vector species in Massachusetts are (primarily) raccoons, skunks, bats, (and less likely but still possible) groundhogs, and foxes. If you are bit by one of these animals, call 911 IMMEDIATELY. If not treated quickly, rabies will almost definitely kill you. That being said, any species of mammal has the capacity to carry rabies.
• Porcupines: Do NOT use any linens. they very easily can and will get stuck in quills and while not hurting the animal, they are very difficult to get off due to porcupine quills being barbed and the removal of quills is painful for the animal. Ideally porcupines should be left to a professional to handle, but if you must handle one, try using a broom to push it into a dustpan and move it into a box from there if possible.
• Snakes: Most snakes in Massachusetts are harmless but we do have two venomous species: Timber Rattlesnakes & Copperheads, both of which are quite rare and only found in a few locations within the state. If you find one of these species injured or sick, use extreme caution. Call animal control if available and if you must handle the animal, throw a towel over the head before doing anything else.
• Snapping turtles: In order to pick up a snapping turtle, hold the tail in order to put your hand under the shell and carry it like a plate while still holding onto the tail. Be INCREDIBLY careful with these animals; handle them as if you are handling a loaded weapon and do not point them at anyone within 4 feet of the head and be very careful to never go in close proximity to the head.
• Woodpeckers: NEVER use terry cloth; their tongues can get stuck on it and prolapse. Something like a pillowcase is much better.

Other Misc. Resources:

Animal Rescue League:
https://www.arlboston.org

Environmental Police Resources:
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-environmental-police

How to Tell if Wildlife is Truly Sick or Injured:
https://vet.tufts.edu/tufts-wildlife-clinic/how-tell-if-wildlife-truly-sick-or-injured

Humane Rodent Control Solutions:
https://www.wildcarecapecod.org/wildlife-assistance/humane-rodent-control-solutions/

Information on Rabies:
https://www.mass.gov/rabies

List of Animal Control Officers (ACOs):
https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachusetts-animal-control-officers-contact-list/download

Precautions for Avian Influenza (HPAI):
https://vet.tufts.edu/tufts-wildlife-clinic/resource-library/precautions-avian-influenza-hpai

Seasonal Wildlife Issues:
https://vet.tufts.edu/tufts-wildlife-clinic/resource-library/seasonal-wildlife-issues