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+ How do I find a wildlife rehabilitator near NYC?

To find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area of NY, check the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Rehabilitator list. NYC residents will often need to be prepared to take the animal to Long Island or upstate, as local rehabbers have very limited space. More info on these resources below.

+ Can you come pick up this animal?

Unfortunately we do not have resources to pick up any mammals. There is not any organization that will reliably pick up common animals in NYC such as squirrels or opossums that we are aware of. You can try contacting DEC officers (NYC is region 2), but it is usually is up to you as a good samaritan to get the animal to the help it needs. If the animal is visibly injured or sick in a park, you can try filling out this form from 311.

If you found a bird in need of help, you can contact Gotham Rescues

Pigeons will sometimes be picked up by volunteers from NYC Pigeon Rescue Central.

+ Wildlife Centers in the NYC area

LONG ISLAND:
Volunteers For Wildlife in Locust Valley - 516-674-0982
Long Island Wildlife and Animal Rescue in Massapequa - 516-797-8387
Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation in Massapequa
Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside - 516-766-1580
Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays - 631-728-9453
STAR in Middle Island - 631-736-8207 this is the local center we know of that will take orphaned fawns (deer)
Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons in Jamesport - 631-779-3737

UPSTATE:
Green Chimneys in Brewster - 845-279-2995
Animal Nation in Rye - 914-400-6014

CONNECTICUT:
Wildlife in Crisis in Weston - 203-544-9913

NEW JERSEY:
Wild Baby Rescue in Blairstown - 908-362-9453
The Raptor Trust in Millington - 908-647-2353
Links to wildlife rehabilitators here.
Links to wildlife centers here.
For an injured, nuisance or orphaned young mammal, call the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife at 908-735-8793.
For snakes, turtles, frogs, birds and other animals; call the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, Endangered Species and Nongame Program at 908-735-8975.
If you have nuisance Canadian geese or bats, please call the Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control at 908-735-5654.

+ Help with Squirrels

If you found a sick or badly injured squirrel in a park, please fill out this online form so that the parks department can investigate. If you decide to take it to a veterinarian yourself, look for vets that treat exotic animals or go to an Animal Care Center for medical care. Be careful of bites, as squirrels have very strong jaws and sharp teeth. If you are bitten, seek medical attention immediately.

If you found a baby squirrel, please do everything you can to find the mother. Raising babies in captivity should always be a last resort, and in most cases a squirrel mother will be desperate to find her lost baby. To determine if a reunite is possible, first check:

• Is the baby badly injured or bleeding?
• Is it cold to the touch? (Baby squirrels should feel warm.)
• Is there a dead parent nearby?
• Are there flies or maggots on the baby or in any of its orifices?
• If yes to any of these, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

If not displaying the above symptoms, try to reunite the baby with its mother. Thorough instructions here.

Do not try to feed or give water to the baby squirrel. Feeding a baby squirrel without the proper supplies and training can be fatal to the baby. Baby squirrels require a very specific diet and care protocol (most of the DIY recipes you can find online are extremely inappropriate for their proper development), as well as the fact that it is illegal to possess wildlife in NY without a license.

+ Help with Mice and Rats

Mice and rats are not protected species, so you do not need to be a licensed rehabber to care for them. Try the Rat & Mouse Gazette for helpful info.

+ Help with Birds

Please contact Wild Bird Fund for advice at 646-306-2862. Leave a message and they will get back to you asap. If the bird is not fully feathered, look up and see if there is a nest you can return the bird to. Birds do not reject their young if a human has touched them- this is a myth. Scroll down to the flow chart below for more information about reuniting a baby bird with its mother.

You can also contact NYC Audubon at 212-691-7483.

Do not try to feed a nestling bird yourself, as you could accidentally injure or kill it. Keep the bird very warm until you can get it to a wildlife rehabilitator. It is illegal to possess wildlife in NY without a license. (This does not apply to pigeons, sparrows, or starlings.)

+ Help with Opossums

If you found a baby opossum, do not try to care for it or feed it on your own. Baby opossums are marsupials, and latch onto their mother’s nipple in the pouch for several months. A rehabber must tube-feed babies this age- they cannot eat anything on their own. It is illegal to possess wildlife in NY without a license.

If you see a sick or injured opossum in a park, please fill out this online form so that the parks department can investigate. If you decide to take it to a veterinarian yourself, look for vets that treat exotic animals or go to an Animal Care Center for medical care. Opossums are usually more "hiss" than bite, but if you are bitten, seek medical attention immediately.

If you find a dead opossum, check if it is female! If so, feel inside the pouch for babies. They can often be rehabilitated if a rehabber receives them quickly. Keep them very warm and get to a rehabilitator or wildlife center asap.

+ Help with Raccoons, Skunks, and Bats

Do NOT touch it! If a raccoon, skunk, or bat scratches or bites a human, it must be killed and tested for rabies. Don’t put the animal in this situation! If you have been bitten or scratched by a raccoon, skunk, or bat, seek medical attention immediately. Rabies is fatal. Raccoons can also carry raccoon roundworm, which is also very dangerous to humans and can cause blindness, liver and brain damage.

If you found an injured or sick raccoon, skunk, or bat in a park, please call 311 and ask for Urban Park Rangers. Also fill out this online form so that the parks department can investigate. If you are concerned for the animal’s or public safety, also call an Animal Care Center to report the situation.

Unfortunately there are no licensed wildlife rehabilitators in NYC at this time who can help with raccoons, skunks, or bats. This is because they are considered Rabies Vector Species (RVS) in NY. However, there are some licensed rehabbers in surrounding counties outside the city. You can find them by going to the DEC public list of rehabbers, then select "bats, raccoons, or skunks", then begin searching county by county.

+ Help with Coyote, Deer, or other large animals

Stay away from the animal. Do not touch or try to feed it. Please call 311 and ask for Urban Park Rangers. Also fill out this online form so that the parks department can investigate. If you are concerned for the animal’s or public safety, call 911 as well.

For coyote questions, please contact Gotham Coyote Project. We have many coyotes quietly living in NYC, so just seeing one is NOT a cause for alarm. Feel lucky to have spotted one and leave it alone!

For deer, please contact STAR in Middle Island - 631-736-8207 Please be aware that a fawn (baby deer) laying curled up quietly alone is NOT in trouble. Even if they are in an odd place, such as an alley, doorway, or other "human space". Deer regularly grow up in suburban/urban areas and do just fine. Fawns spend the majority of their time alone, with mom keeping a careful eye on them from afar. Fawns do not need help unless they are up walking around and crying.

+ Help with Turtles

Please contact The NY Turtle and Tortoise Society for advice at info@nytts.org, or try the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Rehabilitator list. Do not release any non-native turtles in NY state, as this has tremendous consequences for native wildlife, even if the turtle can survive in this climate.

+ Help with Farm Animals (such as escaped slaughterhouse animals)

These are only recommendations of places to try to get more information on your placement search. They are not shelters who accept all farm animals.
Queens County Farm Museum
Woodstock Farm Sanctuary
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
Coming Home Animal Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary
Lollypop Farm

+ How do I get this animal out of my air conditioner/attic/wall/ceiling etc.?

Please work with a humane wildlife removal company such as
NY & NJ Wildlife Removal Company
Quality Pro Pest & Wildlife Services
Able Wildlife
Trapping and removing the animal is almost NEVER the solution, but rather it is important to make your home an unappealing and inaccessible place for the animal to nest. More info can be found on this topic in the FAQs.

+ What should I do with the animal while waiting to hear back from a rehabber?

Keep/get all babies very warm. Do not try to feed anything if they are nursing mammals or hatchlings, as you can cause a great deal of harm if you don't know what you are doing (both in technique and diet). Most animals can survive quite a while without food, so focus on warmth and a calm environment while waiting to hear from a pro. Do not give any animal cow's milk - unless you found a calf!

Injured animals should also be kept warm, and in a covered quiet place (either a box or crate with old clothing/towels). Stress can be lethal to wildlife so do not handle them or even look at them more than necessary, particularly if they are a prey species. A dish of water MAY be fine for adults (please confirm with a rehabber first, and be very careful with small babies as they can drown), but hold off on food until you are advised of their proper diet. There are many misconceptions about what different species can/should eat.