Rescuing wild animals raises ethical questions about intervention in natural processes; evidence-based guidelines help navigate when rescue serves welfare versus when it may cause harm.
Wild animal rescue requires navigating the tension between the immediate welfare benefit of helping an apparently distressed animal and the potential harm of inappropriate intervention. Most healthy young animals should not be rescued: a fawn lying still in long grass is not abandoned but waiting for its mother; a healthy fledgling on the ground is learning to fly; a seal pup resting on a beach does not need assistance. Genuine rescue situations involve animals that are injured, entangled, sick, or genuinely separated from parents. The ethics of rescue must weigh immediate welfare gain against the likelihood of successful rehabilitation and release, and the welfare cost of intensive human contact during rehabilitation.