Rescuing injured wildlife - right or wrong??

I can't imagine why it would be wrong. We rescue people and pets regularly, in fact call it a crime in some cases if we don't.

I've found a few injured animals and sent them on to someone better equipped to deal with them. Notably, I had an injured baby squirrel (fell off the roof of the architecture building) in my dorm room for a couple days until we found a wildlife rehab center who would take him. Luckily I knew what to do-- one of my neighbors growing up WAS a 'squirrel lady' who rehabbed them. An entire room of her house had carpeted walls and a tree in it, and she rescued orphaned baby squirrels and whatnot. We had a 'bat lady' too, which was nice because we were constantly getting bats in our house and she finally told us how to get them out!

Gosh, now that I'm thinking about it, there were TONS of wildlife rescue services around me. One of my favorite parks was a raptor rehab center, some of the birds were too disabled to be released but there was always a big party if one of them was being sent back to the wild. And a program to reintroduce peregrine falcons downtown that was pretty successful.

I guess I was lucky, and so are the wild animals of Ohio. Well, except those poor deer.

I guess it all depends on the situation. If it is a man made injury or incident where the wild life needs rescued/rehab, it is not wrong to do so. However, if it is a nature caused incident, then it is best to leave them alone. I wouldn't say it is wrong to rescue wildlife that was injured by natural causes, but many predator species depend on sick or injured wild life for their survival. I know I get many calls here at work, where people see a deer that is injured due to an attack by coyotes. They ask, is there anything you can do? I always reply no, that is part of nature. However, there is nothing we can do for a deer that was injured by man either, such as hit by a car. There are no deer rehab facilities around here.

I get your point. But most of us live in places with no natural large predators. For instance, that squirrel was found on the campus of Kent State, which has some raptors that do eat squirrels but who are largely successful catching healthy prey just fine. Typically, we can probably assume that an injured animal is not the only source of food for another animal.

Also, sick/elderly animals aren't usually what is brought in for rehab, it's birds with broken wings, animals who have been hit by cars, poor creatures who someone thought would make a 'good pet' and have no idea what to do with it.

There are so many people with good points on this matter. It's one I've flip-flopped on myself many, many times over the years. I think I'll just watch and see what you guys come up with

Yes, that's what I mean by "man made injury or incident".

On this topic, I'm 100% in Amber's camp. It depends on the situation. I've had to dispatch a number of small critters this summer that Rocket brought in injured but alive, and I knew it was pointless to return them to the wild because they'd just die anyway, and also I didn't wish to see them suffer. Though we usually think more in terms of rescuing "higher" animals -- eagles and cranes, deer and wolves, etc etc -- a baby bunny is a living creature just the same as they are. In Rocket's case, I'd classify it as nature at work. I just feel it's the right thing to do to help it along from time to time to alleviate a small animal's suffering.

I am a Licensed Wildlife Rehabber, and, along with cat rescue, it is my passion. I will do anything and everything to save a precious little one in need. When the little one is strong and healthy again, I release in a safe environment, and if non-releasable, will keep her/him or re-home with a fellow rehabber so the little one can receive permanent love and care.

If an animal is injured and suffering, and someone can help it, then I think that's great, they should. No need to make them suffer when we can help.

But I understand the circle of life as well. I was at a resort on the Great Barrier Reef a couple of years ago, and there was an older turtle that had come on to the beach to lay eggs, but got stuck on the wrong side of the rocks, and it was a hot, hot day, and she'd come up late to lay, so was trying to get down in the hottest part of the day. She happened to be right in front of the bar area as well, so EVERYONE was watching this poor turtle die The staff said they do not interfere with the wildlife if it's natural causes (if they hit a turtle with a propellor of their boat, then they would help it). This turtle was most likely old and weak, otherwise she would have come up onto the beach earlier, and gotten back down fine, despite the rocks. Her body would feed many ocean critters once she was washed out.

It was sad, and I believe in that philosophy, but I still think it's good to have wildlife rescues to help, because people are always going to want to help the animals they see injured, so it's beneficial to have somewhere to take them, especially when they have such good facilities.

I remember hearing something somewhere that went like this,"You can judge the state of a society by how they treat their animals".

I am not fully sure what that means but I feel something about it applies here.

Ya, I've heard that saying, too. It doesn't reflect too well on human society in general, does it?

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

- Mohandas Gandhi
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au...as_gandhi.html

I understand the nature of things. But if i see an injured bird or animal on my way home, or in my backyard, how on earth could i just leave it there to die? Because face it, it will die. And if it's called interferring with nature to try and save something from a certain death, then call me guilty.

I don't think there's anything wrong with ending an animal's suffering.

I cannot leave an injured animal, if I see it. I completely understand that wild animals need to eat, but being that I don't usually know if the injury was man-caused or not, I cannot willingly leave it to suffer. Who knows; maybe an animal will come and eat it. Maybe not, though. Maybe it will just suffer and die.

The neighbor on our right side once had a dog. A squirrel came out of our tree and sat upon the fence, above the dog, taunting the dog. Turns out the squirrel got stuck to the fence, somehow, and was fratically trying to leave after a while, when sent the dog into a frenzy as well. The neighbor came out and found what was making the dog go crazy. She knocked the poor squirrel to the ground with her broom, and just walked off, leaving the poor thing laying on the ground, dazed.

I knew the neighbor also had a cat whom roamed wherever he pleased (which is why we found him dead on the road RIGHT behind the neighbor's house a few weeks later...). I knew he enjoyed hunting the local wildlife, though he never ate them. -_- So we took the little squirrel into the wildlife vet. Poor thing probably didn't make it; he was bleeding out of his eyes, ears, and nose. She must have really hit him hard...(my mother saw it, then told me what had happened).

No point to the story. =P Just a story.

Same here... I just can't leave them to suffer and I usually don't know the cause either. When I was helping open up the new vet's office, someone came in and said there was an injured rabbit on the side of the busy road down the block. The office manager and I took a box and a towel and went to catch it. The rabbit was off the road, on a lawn. It had obviously been hit by a car. It was hard to tell the injury because it was dark, but it was dragging at least one hind leg. I carefully got it into the box and we brought it back to the clinic. Unfortunately it turned out it had been hit by a car and was too badly injured (very bad degloving injury and both legs broken) but who knows how long it would have been out there suffering otherwise, maybe days... We may have deprived a coyote or fox of a meal, but I doubt they would have come that close to such a busy street anyway.

I will only rescue babies. Oppossums or squirrels. Not too long ago we got a call on some baby squirrels. I used my own time to go get them and take them into foster. Then I transferred them to a wildlife rescue person I know. The best part about them was the fact that they are the native squirrels to our area that have been erradicated by the grey squirrels. The ones I got were red tail squirrels. Of course the squirrels that live in my backyard are grey tailed squirrels I can't help but feed them they are so cute.

Oppossums I did for a very long time. However when they could kill and eat worm they were set free. That's when I let nature take it's course. Wild animals are not pets and people who try to save them will pet them..love them and you can't do that. They need as little interaction with you as possible. A lot of people don't understand that. Which is why it's illegal for most people to rescue. If a wild animal has been domesticated, then you have thrown nature off it's balance.

One morning I heard a noise that caught my attention out my front door. I opened it to see my cat and my neighbors cat had caught a shrew. I looked at the shrew for a second, saw it was injured. Left it there with the cats, and let nature take it's course. I closed the door, heard one last noise and that was that.

There is a touchy balance in saving a life, and letting nature take it course.

I don't foster often due to the amount of work involved. I am not licensed either. So it is illegal for me to do here. If the said animal though gets eaten by a hawk later on, well then I gave that creature a full meal. lol.

I was talking to someone at work about coyotes. She said that in the area we live in that they usually thrive off of feral cats. I never knew this, and so I realized that feral cats do serve a purpose and so do the coyotes. The circle of life I guess.

A lot of people don't realize that baby squirrels have no fear of humans till they hit a certain age. They will let you pick them up. I had a lady try and bring one into the shelter. It was not injured. I was actually coming out the door as she was coming in. I grabbed the squirrel from her, put it on the ground and it ran up a tree. She said "Look at him go!" I said "Yeah that's what they do."

Honestly unless it was a bald eagle or endangered species. If I saw an injured bird in my backyard. I would send my cat out to finish the job. It's the same when my friend and I saw a twitching squirrel that had been run over in the road. Shelters were not open at this time of morning 6am. I told her to run it over again to put it out of it's misery and she did.

I could not do that. My heart just couldn't take it. I completely understand why someone would do that, but I could not bring myself to do that, and still be sane the next day. I can't even euthanize a dying and obviously-in-pain fish without feeling guilt and sorrow for days on end. I have never recovered from killing (albiet, accidently) cockatiel a few months ago...

*sigh* My friend says that my big heart is a wonderful thing, but...It gets in the way at the wrong times...

This is the one paragraph of your post with which I vehemently disagree.

Coyotes' natural food is rodents, birds, berries, and road kill. Because they are opportunistic predators they will also go after poodles, Siamese cats and the occasional toddler. No one would argue that the "purpose" of poodles, Siamese cats or toddlers is to provide a coyote with a meal. The same goes for feral cats. Feral cats are *not* wildlife. They are not the natural prey of coyotes.

Cats have been domesticated animals for a very long time - there is no "subspecies" of cats who are feral. Ferals cats are those who've been forced to eke out an existence in the outdoors due to the irresponsibility of people who can't trouble themselves to spay/neuter their pets. Many of these offspring of unneutered cats will never have contact with humans;
consequently they must rely on their hunting and survival skills to live, so they are labeled "feral".

Feral cats' "purpose", if they need a purpose, is not to be coyote food. They are feral because of us, humans, and we can and should do better by them than chalking up their demise by coyotes to "the circle of life".

Feral cats are cats first, feral second.

Well you got your opinion about the matter, of course I think I will listen to the person who has been in animal welfare for 40 years. Mabye at one time coyotes main source of food was not feral cats. However, in our area it might be. Sorry, but we got a feral cat problem here that keeps people bringing feral cats to the shelter every single day. What I mean is I see the same person everyday for months on end bringing in ferals. If a coyotee eats one, then I say good. It is what it is. It's one less cat we have to euthanize, which takes a toll on a person. I don't care who your are, you can't euthanize an animal without having a feeling to it. It's hard. This area has been developed so fast, and we are moving in to wild life area. Don't want your dog eaten? Then don't keep him outside. I am assuming you are talking about a miniture poodle or toy (which should be outside supervised only), don't want your cat eaten? Don't keep him outside, unless you fully understand the calculated risk. I have yet to hear of a coyote attacking a person, or child that's just for this area. Which is where I am coming from with my opinion.

Next I just google Coyotes attacks on children, and it said that is was rare and the a child is a millions of times more likely to be attacked by a dog than a coyote. So I am not going to touch that one.

I would like to point out the "OUR AREA" section, I see you live on the other side of the country so why your view could differ from mine could be understandable.

Your story reminds me of a story of mine: Many years ago one night, around 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning back in 19?? I heard a scream........it sounded like a woman's scream.....a scream of agony. My brother came home from a night of nightclubbing and said a dog had been hit by a car on the relief road in back of our house & the dog was screaming [he said it looked like a german shepherd.] I told him to go back & run over the poor dog to put him out of his misery. He couldn't do it. We called the police and it took much time for the cop to round up a vet to come out & help him shoot the dog. The next morning, it was unbelieveable the amount of blood that poor dog lost. It must have bled every ounce in its body. I heard that scream for years in my head.

Honey, as sad as it sounds, all living creatures are part of the food change, even humans (try playing with a hungry wild lion, or a great white shark). Cats are cats...they are mammals that are smaller than coyotes so therefore can be food. We're not getting into a discussion about HOW the feral cats came to be (because we all agree) but they are a source of food for other wildlife. It's the way of nature. I don't think any coyote will stop and think "oh...that's a cat...I can't eat him"...it just happens.

I, for one, couldn't leave an injured animal to die a slow death or be defensless against a predator. At the same time, I think it's merciful to put the poor animal out of it's misery and let nature take it's course from there.

Is "Road kill" natural food?

Apparently for coyotes (and other carrion eaters such as vultures) road kill is natural food. In many cases, road kill will consist of various types of rodents which is what a coyote would normally hunt. Because they are not discriminating about their prey, coyotes will eat any type of road kill, including deer.

I would say yes on this also. I do see crows or hawks picking at road kill more than anything else.

I mean if a squirrel dies in the forest of natual causes, it's still food. Doesn't matter how it got there..It just matters (to the predator) that it's there.

I didn't see where you wrote about an opinion that this person expressed about coyotes killing feral cats. You wrote that she told you coyotes "thrived off of feral cats". That's a statement of a fact, not an opinion, so I don't know what she thinks about the situation, only that the situation exists.

Breal, I don't think that you really believe that it's "good" if a coyote kills a cat, but I do understand why you'd say this. I completely agree with you that euthanizing animals takes a tremendous toll on people, and my heart goes out to you that you're in this position. It's a terrible thing to have to do and it's impossible not to be affected by it.

The feral cat "problem" you speak of exists throughout the country, in my part of it, too. It's important to remember that the "problem" exists through no fault of the cats. *People* have created the problem and many of us who care about cats are trying to fix it, literally.

The answer is TNR - Trap, Neuter, Return. The cats are trapped humanely, neutered, and returned to their original location, with someone who will give ongoing care for the cats in the form of providing small outdoor shelters and food. I'm sure your friend in animal welfare knows about this. I learned about it 20 years ago and have been doing it ever since.

Feral cats do not belong in shelters. It's a death sentence since they have no chance of getting adopted.
Instead of just accepting cat after cat from the person you spoke about who continually comes to the shelter with feral cats, he/she should be getting those cats neutered (there are lots of low and some even no-cost spay/neuter programs) and returning them to their location.

There is plenty of info about TNR online, and a forum dedicated to feral cats right here on TCS. There are even national organizations whose purpose is to be an advocate for feral cats by educating about TNR. The most well-known of these is Alley Cat Allies. (www.alleycat.org)

It would be great if your shelter could start a TNR program or join with a local grassroots organization already doing it. It's obviously needed in your area.

TNR is humane, ethical and it works.

Most of the time they are rescued because of things people do. So the question becomes much bigger.

We offer this service to people bringing in ferals and they want nothing to do with it. We explain to them how it's not going to solve their feral cat problem. 1 person out of every 30 takes us up on this offer.

Yeah, we know about TNR. It's just the public we deal with wants nothing to do with it.
We also have a program for domesticated cats that S/N microchips license and rabies for 10 dollar for male cats and 20 for female. When I work with this program for a few months, people who didn't have the money to fix their cat we would wave the fee, because in the end we knew it could possibly mean one less cat we have to euthanize.

Right and I shouldn't have written thrived, but they do eat them if that's another source of food for them, then yes. I am okay with that.