CARE STARTS WITH THE RIGHT NEXT STEP
Found wildlife that may need help?
Pause, give the animal space, and get advice from someone equipped to help that species in your area.
By Global Animal Guide · Sources checked · Editorial standards
The short answer
Keep yourself, other people and pets safe. Observe from a distance and contact a local wildlife rehabilitator, veterinarian or wildlife authority. Do not handle a dangerous animal or enter traffic or water to reach it. A young animal alone is not necessarily orphaned.
Start with what you can see
Visible injury or entanglement
Contact professional help promptly. Describe bleeding, difficulty moving, trapped limbs or fishing line. Do not attempt to remove embedded hooks, disentangle a large animal or give treatment yourself.
A young animal on its own
Keep back and look for context. A parent may be nearby but avoiding you. Ask for advice before assuming abandonment; unnecessary removal can separate a healthy youngster from its parents.
A large, marine or hazardous animal
Keep a generous distance and prevent crowds. Contact the appropriate wildlife authority or stranding network. Never push a stranded marine mammal back into the water. Leave snakes and bats to trained responders.
An animal in a dangerous place
Your safety comes first. Do not step into a road, climb unstable structures or enter water. Give the location to the appropriate local authority; use emergency services when a person is in immediate danger.
Find the right local service
Availability, licensing and the species a centre can accept vary. Check the organisation’s own current contact instructions and call before travelling. This is a starting-point directory, not a live dispatch service.
England and Wales · RSPCA injured-wildlife guidance ↗
Species-specific advice and current reporting options. Service coverage is not worldwide.
United States · Animal Help Now ↗
Find wildlife emergency helpers by location and type of animal.
United States marine wildlife · NOAA Fisheries ↗
Regional reporting routes for injured, stranded or entangled marine animals.
Additional countries · WARN rescue guidance ↗
Use country-specific guidance to identify local support. WARN and this website are not emergency response services.
Make your report useful
A clear report helps a professional decide how urgent the situation is and what equipment is needed. Record these details while maintaining your distance:
- The location and a safe access point, including landmarks.
- The time you first saw the animal and whether its condition changed.
- Its approximate size, appearance and behaviour; say if identification is uncertain.
- Any visible injury, entanglement or known contact with a pet or vehicle.
- A photograph or short video taken without approaching or disturbing it.
Give precise locations privately to the relevant responder. Avoid publicly sharing sensitive nesting or den locations. Before moving an animal, confirm that the receiving professional accepts the species and has given you a safe plan.
Help wildlife without handling it
Most wildlife encounters are opportunities to observe. Use binoculars, keep dogs under control and give animals a way to leave. Do not bait animals for photographs. If you want to help over the longer term, explore wildlife-friendly choices at home, responsible wildlife tourism and how to assess an animal-welfare organisation.
Learning the animal’s normal behaviour also helps you describe what seems unusual. Start with hedgehogs, foxes or our wildlife identification guides. A guide cannot diagnose an individual animal.
Wildlife-help questions
Should I pick up a baby wild animal?
Not automatically. Some young animals spend time alone while a parent is away, and fledgling birds may be learning to fly. Keep people and pets away, observe from a distance and ask a wildlife rehabilitator for species-specific advice. Visible injury, entanglement or a known attack needs prompt professional assessment.
Should I give an injured animal food or water?
Do not force food, milk, water or medicine into a wild animal’s mouth. Incorrect feeding can cause harm. Ask the receiving wildlife professional what, if anything, is appropriate before offering anything or moving the animal.
Does Global Animal Guide collect or treat injured animals?
No. We provide educational information and links to professional services. We do not dispatch rescuers, provide veterinary treatment or monitor emergency reports. Contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator, veterinarian or wildlife authority.
What information should I give a wildlife rehabilitator?
Describe the exact location, animal size or suspected species, visible injury, behaviour, time observed and any known contact with a cat, dog or vehicle. A photograph taken from a safe distance can help. Ask whether they accept the species and can receive it before arranging transport.
Sources and scope
General guidance draws on US Fish and Wildlife Service advice on handling and feeding, Humane World for Animals guidance on apparently orphaned young, the RSPCA’s injured-wildlife guidance and NOAA Fisheries’ reporting guidance. Local professional instructions take priority. Animal Help Now is a directory resource; listing it does not guarantee an available responder. Report a correction.