NYC animal control rejected care for an injured seagull!

cheylink

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On my way to work today, we found a seagull, obviously injured, in the middle of the street. We pulled over and I approached it to get it out of the street, it had an obvious broken leg. So I scooped it to the side of the road and called animal control. I waited 15 minutes, automated next available representative, then was put on hold for 5 minutes by someone, then told they do not help seagulls! Yes, those words..."I'm sorry mam, but we don't help seagulls."

When I went back to check on the seagull after work, it was gone......I can only hope that someone rescued it! How can animal control deny a seagull care?! One of the few wild habitat we have here!
 

forensic

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My guess is a seagull would have to go through a wildlife rehabilitation center. Most animal control officers deal only in 'pet' species. And around here they usually only deal in euthanasia for said species.
 

starryeyedtiger

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Please understand that animal control in many areas is not authorized to handle and care for certain wild life because of way too much red tape so to speak. (I used to work for Animal Control....and there were times when we really did want to help certain wild animals but were not authorized too so we had to turn the case over to the TWRA - our wildlife rescue for the state. We would hold the animals until they picked them up though.)

At the very least they should have refered you to the state's wildlife santuary/rescue and at least housed the animal safely until it could be transported for medical care....that's the least they could have done. I would have been upset over that. They should have refered you to the proper authorities so it could have gotten help.
 

white cat lover

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It is illegal here for an AC officer to deal with true wildlife, they must contact the DNR.
 
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cheylink

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Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Please understand that animal control in many areas is not authorized to handle and care for certain wild life because of way too much red tape so to speak. (I used to work for Animal Control....and there were times when we really did want to help certain wild animals but were not authorized too so we had to turn the case over to the TWRA - our wildlife rescue for the state. We would hold the animals until they picked them up though.)

At the very least they should have refered you to the state's wildlife santuary/rescue and at least housed the animal safely until it could be transported for medical care....that's the least they could have done. I would have been upset over that. They should have refered you to the proper authorities so it could have gotten help.
They didn't, she simply said "no mam, we don't".
 
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