Injured/Orphaned Wildlife
Injured Wildlife
If you find an injured or orphaned animal, please review the guides below. Often times, animals are not orphaned and do not need assistance. Parents leave young unattended to avoid detection by predators and while gathering food. After reviewing the guides, if you think the animal needs assistance please contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife Rehabilitators have specialized training, skills, and facilities necessary to care for injured wildlife until they can be released back into the wild.
If you are unable to find a wildlife rehabilitator to assist the animal, please leave the animal in its natural habitat. Although this may be difficult, please remember wildlife populations are regulated by both birth and death. Death is a necessary part of the process to prevent overpopulation, lack of food resources, and disease.
Fawns/Deer
Wildlife Rehabilitators are not permitted to intake white-tailed deer. Please call your local LDWF office or 800.442.2511 for assistance.
Eagles
To report injured bald or golden eagles, contact your local LDWF office or call 800.442.2511.
Sea Turtles/Marine Mammals
If you see a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead sea turtle or marine mammal, please report it as soon as possible. Provide as much information as you can, including photos and a GPS location.
- Report sea turtle strandings to the Louisiana Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network at 844.SEA.TRTL (844.732.8785). Select Option 4 to report a sea turtle, and then Option 4 for Louisiana. If there is no answer, leave a message with your name, number, the date, location of the sea turtle, and its condition.
- Report marine mammal strandings to the NOAA Southeast Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 877.942.5343.
Sea turtles and marine mammals are protected by state and federal laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is illegal to feed, injure, or kill marine mammals and sea turtles (or harvest their eggs). If you see any potential violations, please report it immediately. You may report violations anonymously.
- Report violations to NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800.853.1964 or LDWF's Operation Game Thief at 800.442.2411.
Orphaned Wildlife
Well-meaning people often attempt to rescue small animals they think are abandoned. However, many of these animals are taken from completely normal situations. For example, the mother of a small animal may be attempting to teach her offspring how to forage, walk, or fly. Adult animals frequently leave their young to forage for food but rarely abandon them. While it may appear that the small animal has been left alone, a mother's watchful eye may not be far away. Adult animals also try to conceal their young from humans and other animals. When humans handle or move young animals, the parent may abandon the young or may not be able to find them.
Leave young animals alone, try not to disturb them, and let the parents care for them. Be sure to review the information below before you intervene.
Fawns/Deer
Louisiana deer typically fawn between March through September. A fawn is most vulnerable to predators during the first few weeks of its life. To help their fawns avoid predators, does find locations for them to hide and remain still. Does often leave the fawns alone while walking off some distance to forage for food or observe the fawn's location. People out hiking or working in deer habitat often see these fawns and assume they are lost. LDWF often receives reports from people who have “rescued” a fawn and brought it home. Though well-meaning, this is the wrong thing to do and is, in fact, illegal. You may not capture wild white-tailed deer, including fawns. Instead, if you find a fawn, back away from it and leave it alone. The unseen doe likely is watching you and will soon be back to nurse and check on the fawn.
Wildlife Rescuer Regulation
Rescuer Reporting
Any individual or litter of animals allowed under this exemption must be reported to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Please click the link below and complete the Wildlife Rescuer Reporting form.
https://wlflouisiana.jotform.com/team/wildlifepermits/wildliferescuerreporting
The Louisiana Wildlife Rescuer Exemption allows individuals to possess in captivity certain sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife while providing care for such wildlife for a period of up to 90 days. Wildlife included under this exemption is limited to the following species: squirrel, opossum, rabbit, chipmunk, raccoon, or skunk with such possession limited to one animal or litter of animals per individual. Individuals in possession of any of these animals shall be held strictly liable for any and all damages and/or injuries to persons or property caused by the animal.
Cost
Please note, rehabilitation of wildlife can be very expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife requires specialized training combined with access to and funding for veterinary care. Improper handling, husbandry, and/or nutrition can lead to death of the animal while in your care. It is imperative you understand species biology, ecology, nutritional requirements, and potential for zoonotic disease transmission prior to attempting rescue and/or rehabilitation of any species.
Costs associated with rehabilitation vary by species, age and animal health at intake. Some example cost estimates by species of feeding a single animal from intake to release are: squirrel and chipmunk $300.00, opossum $400.00, rabbit $150.00, raccoon $1000.00, skunk $700.00. The above cost example are strictly for providing an animal with proper nutrition. They do not include expenses associated with caging, veterinary care, medication, enrichment, or any other aspect of rehabilitation. There are numerous sources available online to aid you in determining the cost of wildlife rehabilitation. Before you begin, we highly recommend that you conduct thorough research and connect with a LDWF- permitted Wildlife Rehabilitator to find placement for the rescued animal. A list of LDWF-permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators is available here: (https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/permitted-wildlife-rehabilitators). If you are unable to locate a permitted wildlife rehabilitator or need assistance finding placement for a rescued animal please contact wildlifepermits@wlf.la.gov.
Care
Wildlife require specific diets, caging, and enrichment. For more information please contact the LDWF Permits Coordinator (wildlifepermits@wlf.la.gov; 225-763-5499), or a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitator. We also recommend you visit the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association webpage https://www.nwrawildlife.org/ and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council webpage https://theiwrc.org/.
Disease
Zoonotic diseases are diseases transmitted between animals and humans, 60% of known infections disease are zoonotic. Wildlife are known carriers of many agents which can infect humans through direct or indirect contact. Direct contact transmission occurs when a human comes into direct contact with an infected animal through touch, scratch, bite, or being licked. Disease can also spread through indirect contact, this occurs when a person comes into contact with an infectious agent through inhalation, ingestion, or contact with contaminated animal waste, caging, and husbandry supplies can spread disease.
Some examples of parasites transmitted by wildlife include, but are not limited to, hook worm, round worm, whip worm, tape worm, ringworm, scabies, manage, and Staphylococcus. Diseases include but are not limited to Baylisascaris, Coccidiomycosis, Giarida, Herpes B, Histoplasmosis, Influenza, Rabies, Salmonella, Sarcoptic mange, Toxoplasmosis, Trichinosis, and Tularemia. Please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a more complete list: https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/diseases/index.html.
Rabies
Classical rabies virus, family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus, causes acute encephalitis in all warm-blooded hosts, including humans. All species of mammals are susceptible to classical rabies, but only a few species are considered important reservoirs, such as bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Most of these reservoirs harbor specific variants of the virus in distinct geographic locations. Rabies transmission occurs through contact with saliva from an infected animal, most often enters through a bite. Signs and symptoms in the early stages (2-10 days) include fever, headache, and general malaise. Symptoms progress to insomnia, confusion, anxiety, paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, hydrophobia, and death.
Factors affecting the outcomes of rabies exposure include virus variant, dose of virus inoculum, route and location of exposure, and individual host factors such as age and immune status. Rabies is diagnosed through direct fluorescent antibody test on animal brain tissue which detects viral proteins. In humans, rabies testing can be conducted with samples of saliva, serum, cerebrospinal fluid, or a skin biopsy.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) consists of three injections, given at 0, 7, and 21 or 28 days, and is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for veterinarians, animal handlers, certain laboratory workers, and persons whose activities bring them in contact with vector species. PrEP does not eliminate the need for post-exposure prophylaxis, however it does enhance immunity and reduces the number of booster vaccines required in the event of a known exposure. PrEP also provides protection for people who may experience unrecognized exposures.
When a person or domestic animal is bitten, the animal should be retained for laboratory testing.
The Louisiana Department of Health recommends the wound be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water, and that the victim then seek medical attention as soon as possible. Pertinent information must be collected in ALL potential rabies exposure events. This information includes the geographic location of the incident, the type of animal involved, how the exposure occurred, whether the exposure was provoked or unprovoked, the vaccination status of the animal, and the possibility of the animal being captured and tested for rabies.
Rabies is a lethal test requiring the animal to be euthanized. Rabies is 100% fatal once contracted.
Rabies is a Class A Disease and must be reported to the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, 1.800-256.2748
For more information on rabies please visit the Louisiana Department of Health https://ldh.la.gov/page/rabies-1 and the United States Center for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html
For more information, contact the LDWF Wildlife Permits Office at wildlifepermits@wlf.la.gov
If you need assistance, please contact your Regional Wildlife Office: