Keep Wildlife Wild
Wisconsin's year-round outdoor activities bring people outside to enjoy the natural environment and offer opportunities to view and appreciate wildlife. Wild animals are valued by many, and it's important to observe them at a respectful distance to keep them wild and allow their lives to continue in the wild.
During the warmer months of spring and summer, human-wildlife encounters increase, especially those involving young wild animals. While most of these encounters are harmless, there are times when well-intentioned people interfere in wildlife situations because they incorrectly assume a young animal is orphaned.
Remember: A young wild animal's best chance for survival is with its parent(s)!
*The DNR specialists and staff are not licensed to care for or rehabilitate wild animals.
Five Reasons To Keep Wildlife Wild
Diet
Wild animals have specialized dietary needs that are difficult to meet in captivity. Young wild animals especially require a specific, complete diet; otherwise, they are at a high risk of suffering severe nutritional deficiencies that can leave them deformed for life. Do not feed wild animals human food items. Non-natural food items are likely to cause more harm than benefit.
Disease
Wild animals harbor many different diseases and parasites, some of which are transmissible to domestic animals and even to humans. For more information on wildlife diseases, please visit the Wildlife Diseases webpage.
Habituation/Non-Natural Behavior Development
Wild animals need to learn normal social behaviors from their own species. Wild animals that learn unnatural behaviors from humans or domestic animals are unlikely to survive if released, as they have not learned the necessary survival skills, have lost their natural fear of humans and predators, and may be abnormally habituated or imprinted to human activity. As young animals grow into adults, they can exhibit dangerous wild-animal behaviors that can threaten human and domestic-animal safety.
It's Illegal
Most wild animals are protected under state and federal laws and cannot be taken from the wild or possessed by unauthorized citizens. Raising a wild animal as a pet is not only against the law and regulations but also not doing the right thing for the animal. Wisconsin's captive wildlife regulations allow a citizen to possess a wild animal for up to 24 hours to transfer that animal to an appropriately licensed individual, such as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian. Even though wild animals are cute, they should not be viewed as pets.
Stress
Wild animals view people and domestic animals as predators and are highly stressed by the sights, sounds and smells of being near humans or domestic animals. This stress can cause serious health problems and even death for wild animals.
How To Assess If A Wild Animal Is Truly Orphaned
The following are tips for determining whether these common animals are truly orphaned. To protect all young wildlife, please do not revisit a nest site and do not let dogs and cats near the area. To help you assess if a young wild animal is truly orphaned, refer to the links in the table below for guidance on evaluating wildlife situations.
How Can You Help Injured, Sick or Truly Orphaned Wildlife
Wildlife rehabilitators are licensed individuals trained and equipped to provide temporary care and treatment to injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals for the purpose of releasing them back into the wild. Never attempt to rehabilitate wildlife on your own. Wild animals can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans and pets. They are also capable of inflicting injury on themselves or others as they fight to defend themselves against a perceived threat (humans or pets). They have very specific dietary and housing requirements that are difficult to meet in captivity. Under state law, no person may rehabilitate any wild animal except as authorized under a rehabilitation license.
Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately if you have determined that a wild animal is sick, injured, or orphaned. Never attempt to rehabilitate wildlife on your own.
Contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately if any of the following apply:
- The animal's parent is dead or no longer in the area (trapped and relocated).
- The animal has been attacked by a predator (a dog, a cat, or another wild animal).
- The animal is bleeding and appears injured (bruises, punctures, cuts, broken bones, etc.).
- The animal is emaciated, very weak, cold or soaking wet.
- The animal has diarrhea.
- There are flies, fly eggs, maggots, lice or fleas on the animal.