Wildlife Rehabilitation: Principles and Welfare

Wildlife rehabilitation provides care for injured and orphaned wild animals, with welfare considerations guiding both treatment decisions and release criteria.

Key Facts

Wildlife rehabilitation involves immediate care, diagnosis, treatment, and where possible, release to the wild
Release criteria require assessment of adequate survival skills, appropriate fear of humans, and fitness for wild conditions
Animals that imprint on humans or cannot survive independently may require permanent placement
The welfare of wildlife in care must be balanced against the goal of return to wild behavior
Stress minimization is a priority in wildlife care - handling should be minimized and environment appropriate
Zoonotic disease risk requires PPE protocols for rehabilitators working with all wildlife species

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife in rehabilitation cannot choose their care and cannot communicate needs in familiar ways. The welfare obligation is to minimize distress, provide appropriate species-specific care, and release when genuinely fit for wild survival rather than when humanly convenient. Holding animals beyond what welfare requires for the release goal is a welfare failure. Difficult euthanasia decisions when release prospects are poor represent compassionate care rather than abandonment.

What You Can Do

Contact trained wildlife rehabilitators before intervening with any injured or orphaned wild animal
Do not attempt to raise wildlife without proper training and permits
Support wildlife rehabilitation organizations through donations and volunteer labor
Plant native species that provide food and habitat reducing the need for rehabilitation
Keep cats indoors or supervised to reduce bird and small mammal casualties
Report injured wildlife to rehabilitators and be prepared to transport if requested