Winter is typically quiet at Harmony Wildlife Rehabilitation, but this year’s late January ice storm brought the busy season early. During the storm, animals were relocated, volunteers came together and supporters brought supplies and chainsaws.
“Sometimes it takes the worst storm to bring out the best in people,” said Anastasia Kudrez, executive director of Harmony Wildlife, a nonprofit based in West Nashville.
As spring approaches, the typical “animal baby season” rush begins. Harmony Wildlife received more than 10,000 messages about injured and orphaned native wildlife last year, with many coming in during spring.
But there are many things people can do themselves to help animals that don’t require a call to a wildlife rehab. Below are tips from Harmony.
Protect baby rabbits instead of taking them: Mother rabbits have a habit of not picking the best spot for a nest. In the spring, what looks like a mound that suddenly appeared under the lawn could be a nest full of baby rabbits. Try to lift grass to inspect it. Do not mow over it. If there are pets that roam the property, consider keeping the cat inside and putting the dog on a leash for a few weeks. In three or four weeks, the babies will be gone.
Trust the mothers (especially with squirrels): If you find a baby squirrel on its own and it isn’t visibly injured, Harmony’s advice is to give the mother a chance to retrieve it. Place the baby in a shoebox-sized container that’s shallow enough that the mother can see in, but tall enough that the baby can’t crawl out. Line it with a T-shirt, add warmth (a sock filled with dry rice and microwaved briefly, for instance). Return to the exact location, place the box at the base of the nearest tree, and then step back. To encourage the mother to approach, play baby squirrel calls from YouTube for three to five minutes every 15–30 minutes on a phone or small speaker. Step back so the mother feels safe to approach.
Baby birds go back to their nest: This one is tricky and requires a ladder, but the best place for an uninjured baby bird is back in the nest it fell from. Sometimes a sibling or strong wind can knock them out of their home. It’s a myth that the mother bird will reject them if they’ve been touched by a human. When baby birds are ready to leave the nest, they “fledge.” Fledglings may spend a few days on the ground, watched over by parents, before they take flight. It can be scary to leave these young birds in such a vulnerable situation, but they do not need a rescue unless they are injured.
If the cat (or dog) found it, it likely needs medical attention: Cats have bacteria on their claws and teeth that can make even a small injury deadly to wildlife. The best place for a baby rabbit, or any other living animal your pet may have brought home, is a box in a warm, dark, quiet place. Do not offer food or water, but contact a licensed wildlife rehabber asap. Also, consider making your cat an indoor cat — free-ranging domestic cats are devastating to wildlife and in the U.S. and kill an estimated 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually.
Check for nests before yardwork: Especially with this year’s storm destroying so many trees and habitats, many animals adapted by building nests in downed trees. If a tree is down and the roots are exposed, that’s prime real estate for them. Before removing it, check if there’s a family of small animals that are already settled in. The same applies for trimming branches — check for nests first.
Kudrez also stresses that it’s important to stay safe whenever trying to help animals. She recommends keeping a wildlife rescue kit in the car. A list of what to include can be found on Harmony’s website, along with other helpful articles about helping animals in different situations.
Anyone who has found an animal and needs advice, or to check if there’s room at Harmony for them, is welcome to call or text and Harmony will reply as soon as they can. To help meet demand, Harmony hopes to raise funds to hire a hotline operator.
“The more resources we have, the faster we can respond,” said Kudrez.
Visit HarmonyWildlife.org for more information on upcoming meet and greets and with the team and ambassador animals.