Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley

A Rehabilitation, Release & Educational Facility
I Found a Wild Animal - What Should I Do?

If you need advice, call 408-929-9453 - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Bring any injured, orphaned, sick, or distressed wild bird or mammal that genuinely needs help to the Center. If we are closed, take the animal to one of the following organizations:

Click here for a map to the Wildlife Center
Sick or injured animals need medical care from qualified individuals such as The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley or a veterinarian experienced with wildlife.  Always try to reunited a baby with its mother prior to bringing it to the Wildlife Center.

Some Tips:
  • Remember that all wild animals can be dangerous, especially if frightened or injured. Use great caution when attempting to capture an animal; protect yourself by wearing heavy gloves and using a towel for capture, all the while ensuring the animal's safety as well.
  • Keep the animal in a quiet, dark place before and during transport, and ensure that the container you are carrying the animal in has sufficient ventilation holes.
  • Even though the animals are cute, especially babies, they are not used to being around people. The less you handle the animal, the less stress it will experience, and this will greatly improve its chances of survival.
Baby Birds

Contrary to popular belief, parent birds will not reject their young if touched by humans. Birds have a very poor sense of smell and a strong urge to raise their young. See if you can find the nest. If the baby fell out, simply put it back. If you can’t find the nest, put the bird in a warm, dark, quiet place until you can bring it to the Wildlife Center. Place the baby in a box, with tissues, paper towels or a t-shirt.  Don't use cloth towels as they have loops that little claws can get stuck in and may not be the best material to use.

  • Place the box on a heating pad, set on LOW, or, fill a zip lock bag with warm water, and put it under the tissues or t-shirt, placing the baby on top.
  • Handle the bird as little as possible, and resist the temptation to talk to it. 
  • Don’t give the bird any food, water, or medicine.
  • Bring it to the Wildlife Center as soon as possible.
If the bird has more feathers than fuzz, it may be a fledgling. While birds are learning to fly, they spend some time on the ground. Sometimes, people mistake a fledgling as an abandoned baby bird. Check to see if one of the parents is around.  It may be a bird that doesn’t need rescuing. However, many fledglings are injured by cats. To avoid this, bring your cats in until the bird is able to fly out of harm’s way. Cats have a toxin in their saliva that is often fatal to birds unless it is treated, so bring them into the Wildlife Center right away.
 
Squirrels
Squirrels are independent of their parents when their tails are bushy and they are about half the size of adults; however, young squirrels can sometimes stray from their nest. To reunite infant squirrels with their parents, place them in a box with a soft cloth and a hot water bottle. Try to locate the nest and place the box at the base of a nest tree and let the mother reclaim it. Be sure to bring all domestic animals indoors. If the mother doesn’t in an hour or so, bring them to the Wildlife Center.
 
Opossums and Raccoons
Opossums and raccoons are nocturnal, and often make their homes in our neighborhoods. If you come upon a baby that is less than seven inches long (not measuring the tail), watch it for a half hour  from a distance to see if the mother will come to retrieve it. If not, keep it warm and quiet, just like baby birds and squirrels, and bring it to the Center.

 

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