Support Us
Since 1979 more than 140,000 animals have been treated by Wildlife Rescue.
Thanks to the support of individuals like you, Wildlife Rescue can provide a lifeline for animals in distress.
As this blog is being written, spring seems as though it’s finally sprung. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and the Wildlife Rescue hospital is preparing for an influx of baby animals over the next few months.
We all welcome the chance to spend more time outdoors and Wildlife Rescue wants to help you co-exist with nature a bit better. Since it’s also the start of baby bird season, we’d like to offer you an easy list to follow to ensure baby birds (and mammals!) are not separated from their parents.
We offer this since each year we see roughly 300 baby birds who have been, for one reason or another, orphaned – often by human interference.
Before the babies are even born, there are things you can do in your own backyard to encourage “safe nesting”.
Be an early bird and inspect your house now!
Track down active nests by:
Protect your house before birds start nesting
Protective vent products you can use:
Provide nest boxes and nesting materials
The very first thing to do whether you’ve encountered what appears to be an orphaned baby bird, duckling, or mammal, is to first observe the situation.
Observe the Situation
If you think you have found an injured or orphaned bird, stop, observe, and ask yourself the following questions…
Call for help if needed
If you have answered yes to any of the above questions indicated by a star (*) human intervention is required. Get in touch with Wildlife Rescue’s information and helpline immediately at 604-526-7275.
If not, hang back and watch
If help is not needed, but you’re still concerned, it’s best to hang back and watch. It’s possible your presence merely scared the parent away and within an hour or two it’s possible the parent will come back.
Both baby bird and baby mammals outgrow their nests and will spend some time on the ground, testing their abilities and exploring.
Want to Do More?
Once again, waiting the situation out can be best, but if you’re concerned then here are a couple of things you can do:
Play a distress call – If you know what species the animal is, take out your phone, open the YouTube app and see if there is a distress call that you can play.
This can cue the parent to come and pick up their baby.
It’s true! In April, 2017 Wildlife Rescue was able to reunite an orphaned squirrel by doing this. It can take quite a bit of time, but the payoff is well worth it.
Find / make a nest – If you’ve found a baby bird, particularly if it’s pink and naked, look in your immediate area for signs of a nest.
If you can’t find one the best thing to do is to make a nest yourself. You can do this with a container, such as an empty sour cream container.
Be sure to puncture a few holes in the bottom for drainage, and have some towels put in place as bedding.
If in any of these cases, whether you think it’s an emergency or simply want some information, please contact us at our helpline at 604-526-7275.
You can also take a picture and tweet us @WRAofBC. Be sure to include the exact location and the date/time.
We’re always happy to help!