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Where to get help for sick or injured wild animals

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Sick or injured wild animals should receive care from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabilitators are trained to provide care for wild animals. They are licensed to do so by provincial and/or federal governments.

Help for wildlife in the GTA

If you have found a sick or injured adult animal and are located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), please fill out our online Request for Assistance Form; using this form and uploading photos/video helps us assess your situation more quickly. We will respond as soon as possible. We are open 9am-6pm, seven days a week (yes, even on most holidays!). While you are waiting for a call back, please follow species-specific information on our website regarding containment and temporary care.

If the animal you’ve found is a baby, please click here for more information.

Help for wildlife outside the GTA

There may be another wildlife rehabilitator closer to you. Check the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s complete listings, or view our map of Ontario wildlife rehabilitators.

If you cannot find or connect with a rehabilitator closer to you, please fill out our online Request for Assistance Form; using this form and uploading photos/videos helps us assess your situation more quickly. Our hours are 9am to 6pm, 7 days a week (yes, even on most holidays!). While you are waiting for a call back, please follow species-specific information on our website regarding containment and temporary care.

If the animal you’ve found is a baby, please click here for more information.

Having trouble reaching a rehabilitator?

Keep trying. Wildlife rehabilitators are very busy, especially during the spring and summer. If you get an answering machine, leave a message and make it easy for them to reach you. Call around to others in the area. Be willing to arrange transportation for the animal once a rehabilitator is found. Remember that there is no government funding for wildlife rehabilitation in Ontario, and all rehabilitators are funded almost entirely by private donations.

It is not an option to care for the animal yourself – it needs medical attention that you don’t have the means to provide. Keep it in a cardboard box in a dark, quiet, place, and don’t give it any food or water until you’ve spoken to a wildlife rehabilitator. Further temporary care instructions can be found here.