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I have a sick or injured wild animal – what do I do?

In Indiana, wildlife rehabilitators have necessary state and federal permits to house and care for sick or injured wild animals. For a list of licensed Wild Animal Rehabilitators in your area, contact the USDA Wildlife Services/IDNR Wildlife Conflicts Hotline at 1-800-893-4116, your local DNR district wildlife biologist, or the Division of Fish and Wildlife's central office at (317) 232-4080.

No federal or state agencies will provide care for sick and injured animals. Since wild animals can carry diseases that are dangerous to people, direct contact with wildlife is discouraged. In some cases, a veterinarian or wildlife biologist may want to diagnose a particular disease. The Purdue University Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (765-494-7440) offers testing of wild animals for a fee. They will provide directions on how to prepare and send samples.

The following are links related to sick and injured wildlife:

• USDA Wildlife Services Wildlife Conflicts Hotline Information
  http://www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/wild.htm
• Purdue University Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
  http://www.addl.purdue.edu
• Centers for Disease Control – Healthy Pets Healthy People
  http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/index.htm