What should you do if you find an orphaned wild animal?

Tennessee state law and federal regulations prohibit individuals from keeping wild animals without a permit. This is done for the welfare of the animal itself as well as for the protection of the person who found it.

The first thing you should do if you find a wild animal that appears to be orphaned is attempt to determine if it really needs help.

Some animals, such as deer and cottontail rabbits, leave their young for several hours a day. Songbirds can come and go from the nest so quickly that you miss them if you aren’t watching closely.

If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then the animal may need assistance:

Does the animal attempt to escape?
Does it have an obvious injury, i.e. bleeding, puncture wounds, exposed bone?
Is it a nocturnal animal that is out during the day?
Pinkie baby (no fur/no feathers) out of the nest and the nest cannot be located?
Is it entangled in litter or fishing line?
Is it trapped and unable to escape?
Has a cat or a dog attacked it?

If you determine the animal is in need of assistance, please contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Because state and federal regulations prohibit unlicensed individuals from caring for wildlife, we are not able to give out feeding instructions. However, we can offer emergency instructions until you are able to get the animal to a wildlife rehabilitator.

Please handle any injured/orphaned animal that you have found with care. Over handling an animal can lead to stress-related death. Since wild animals can have communicable diseases, you should always wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after any contact with the animal. If the animal bites you, it may need to be euthanized and checked for disease.

*Young wild animals have very specific nutritional requirements, and even a few days of an inadequate diet can cause irreversible damage to their bones, fur or feathers.

The instructions below will help you assist the animal or (if it’s a baby) determine if it can be reunited with the mother.

Emergency Instructions for Orphaned Wildlife

If the animal you have found is a bat, raccoon, skunk, fox or coyote, do not attempt to handle the animal. Call LouAnn Partington at 931-393-4835 or the State Park at 931-962-1183 for further instructions. These animals can carry rabies.