Tims Ford  Environmental Education Association

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Tennessee state law and federal regulations prohibit individuals from keeping wild animals without a permit. This is done for the welfare of the animal as well as for the protection of the person who found it. Wild animals can have diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Also 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.

Wildlife rehabilitators who work with Tims Ford State Park have permits from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) which enable them to care for orphaned or injured wildlife.  They are also members of several professional organizations, including the Tennessee Wildlife Educators and Rehabilitators Association (TWERA); International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC); and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA)

Tennessee state regulations prohibit the rehabilitation of skunks or bats.

As more homes are built in our area, human/wildlife interactions and conflicts are inevitable.  The staff and volunteers at Tims Ford Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will provide tips on living in harmony with wildlife in the area.  We will also teach humane approaches to dealing with wildlife problems, and will provide a place for injured or orphaned animals to recuperate and return to the wild.

Common Gartersnake

Photo Copyright 2007 Lisa Powers

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

The first thing you should do if you find a wild animal that appears to be injured or 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.  And a hawk on the ground with its wings spread out may just be eating dinner.

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

• Does the animal attempt to escape?

• Is it an adult animal that is easily captured?

• Does it have an obvious injury, i.e. bleeding, puncture wounds, exposed bone?

• Does the bird remain on the ground when the others leave?

• 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: