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OB1 Wildlife Admissions

Kim Blomme of Wild North Wildlife Rescue explains the two-step wildlife admission process for rehabilitators: assessing whether an animal needs help and setting consistent intake procedures.

Key Takeaways

  • Admission requires both a decision on whether intervention is needed and a consistent, documented intake process.
  • Rehabilitators should educate callers and encourage observation before removing apparently orphaned young animals.
  • Human and animal safety take priority during rescue and transport, with help sought from appropriate agencies when needed.
  • Thorough records and chain-of-custody documentation are essential for permits, zoonotic risk management, and release planning.

What the video covers

  • Introduces the presenter, a registered veterinary technologist and certified wildlife rehabilitator from Edmonton, Alberta, who teaches the IWRC basic skills course.
  • Wildlife admission is a two-step process: first determine whether the animal needs rehabilitation, then follow a consistent intake routine.
  • Initial phone contact lets the rehabilitator assess the situation, account for breeding season, and educate callers (e.g., touching a young animal does not cause parental rejection).
  • Young animals may be safe to leave alone if bright, healthy, or near parents; callers should observe from a distance and be encouraged to watch for an extended period.
  • Clear signs of trouble include bleeding, shivering, obvious injuries, lethargy, unusual posture, flies around the animal, or entrapment; when in doubt, admit the animal.
  • Assess whether the caller can safely and legally handle the animal, considering species regulations, good samaritan provisions, and human safety.
  • Give transport guidance: suitable ventilated containers, bedding such as a ravel-free towel, and no food or water during transport.
  • For rescues by the rehabilitator, plan ahead, bring equipment, anticipate escape routes, and partner with animal control or law enforcement as needed.
  • At intake, welcome the rescuer, assign each animal a number and separate record, move the animal to secure holding quickly, and avoid examining it in front of the public.
  • Maintain chain of custody by recording everyone who handled the animal, and gather detailed find-location and history information for release decisions and disease tracking.

Chapters

  1. 00:00Introduction and Presenter Background
  2. 01:30Two-Step Admission Process and Initial Phone Contact
  3. 03:11Assessing Whether Young Animals Need Help
  4. 04:47Conditions Requiring Intervention
  5. 06:11Caller Capability, Legality, and Safety
  6. 07:42Transport, Containment, and Rescue Planning
  7. 09:00Facility Intake Procedures and Professionalism
  8. 10:54Chain of Custody and Finder Information
  9. 12:29Documenting Find Location and Animal History
  10. 14:06Separating Receiving and Treatment Areas

Answers

Questions about this video

What are the two steps in wildlife admission according to this video?

The first step is deciding whether the animal actually needs rehabilitation. The second is developing and consistently following a routine intake process once the animal is admitted.

When should a rehabilitator advise a caller to leave a young animal alone?

If the animal appears bright and healthy with no obvious injury or illness, is an older juvenile able to walk, hop, or fly, or has parents nearby that are vocalizing, the caller should be encouraged to observe from a distance for an extended period before deciding it is abandoned.

Why is chain of custody important when admitting wild animals?

Recording everyone who handled the animal, including finders, captors, and any contact with companion animals, is required in most jurisdictions and helps manage zoonotic disease risks such as rabies and supports reuniting or tracking disease.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:00
Speaker A
hi my name is Kim Blomme coming to you from Edmonton Alberta, Canada i am a registered veterinary technologist and a certified wildlife rehabilitator i've been teaching the iwrc basic skills course for about two years and i'm happy to be part
00:19
Speaker A
of this project i'm the founder and director of wildlife services for wild north wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in edmonton alberta canada and we have been in operation for over 30 years we specialize primarily in birds of all sorts native and migratory as well as small mammals
00:42
Speaker A
and i wish you the best of luck on your coursework and hopefully we'll get to meet in person sometime wildlife admissions when a call comes into a rehabilitator regarding an animal needing help or a rescuer brings an animal to a facility admission for rehabilitation is a two-step process
01:06
Speaker A
and requires careful considerations you are now taking responsibility for this animal's life the first step in the intake and admission process is to ask does the animal need to be rehabilitated the second step is to develop and then follow a consistent process or routine
01:30
Speaker A
when admitting an animal for rehabilitation we will talk about both these steps in this section initial contact is usually by telephone it will be important for you to know and learn about the species of wildlife in your area as well as the timings of the breeding seasons
01:57
Speaker A
during breeding season a caller may be reporting about a young animal still under parental care a juvenile independent but inexperienced animal or an injured adult during non-breeding season a caller may still be referring to an animal as a baby for example saw dolls are often referred to as baby owls due to their size
02:25
Speaker A
initial contact by phone gives the rehabilitator a chance to determine a course of action does this animal need help or does this require intervention and can the caller handle the situation rehabilitators are in a unique position to educate the public
02:50
Speaker A
example many people think touching a young animal will prevent its return to its family we can provide many examples from our experience that this is not true a young animal can be left alone if it appears bright healthy with no obvious signs of injury
03:11
Speaker A
or illness or if it's an older juvenile that's able to walk hop or fly a little or if a nest or den is close by and parents are in the area and vocalizing encourage the caller to watch the situation for an extended period of time before deciding
03:31
Speaker A
that an animal is abandoned always give callers the option to call you back if they need more information or if the situation has changed while we are in a unique position to educate we too are always learning and can gain valuable insight from a caller's observations
03:53
Speaker A
never give advice or make decisions alone if you are unfamiliar with the natural history and species specific behaviors of the animals with which you are dealing the color has a role to play in helping this animal empower them to do the right thing
04:17
Speaker A
and monitor the situation encourage them not to approach the animal but to observe from a distance keeping children and pets inside and away camera phone pictures and videos can be a huge help work with the caller to determine what if any intervention is needed and who will do it
04:47
Speaker A
there are definitely going to be conditions for intervention an animal is in trouble if it is bleeding shivering or has obvious injuries if it is lethargic unresponsive or in an unusual position such as laying on its side with legs outstretched
05:08
Speaker A
could also be in trouble if there are flies flying around the animal or if it is obviously trapped or entangled when in doubt admit the animal you can always ask the caller if they are willing to return the animal if necessary
05:30
Speaker A
if the decision is made to admit the animal decide if the caller can handle the situation a few criteria would be the caller's willingness to help the species will the caller be able to capture safely this will depend on the confidence and experience
05:48
Speaker A
of the caller what are the regulations is it legal for the caller to handle this species most wildlife are protected by federal provincial or state regulations however transporting for the sake of providing care for an injured animal is usually considered good samaritan
06:11
Speaker A
human safety must also be considered explain the species defense mechanisms and how to contain the animal if it is a high risk animal do not encourage the finder but do the rescue yourself must also consider the safety of the animal will they have a container that can safely contain
06:32
Speaker A
the animal is the container well ventilated advise them to leave some bedding such as a ravel-free towel on the bottom no food or water should be in the container during transport if the rescue is to be done by the rehabilitator make a plan before leaving take all equipment that
07:00
Speaker A
will or might be needed understand the natural behaviors of the species and anticipate possible escape routes don't accidentally flush it out into a more dangerous situation such as traffic human safety comes first be aware of bystanders offering unwanted help
07:22
Speaker A
or bystanders may also be taking pictures or videos so be aware of how the capture appears and ensure the animal is captured and restrained humanely and respectfully partner with others familiar with the species such as animal control agencies animal welfare groups
07:42
Speaker A
bylaw control or even law enforcement or fire departments when an animal arrives at your facility welcome the rescuer make the rescuer feel part of the team never promise something that can't be delivered always promise to care for the animal to the best
08:07
Speaker A
of your abilities a good line to use is we can't control the outcome but we can control the quality of the care that we give use this as an opportunity for education if appropriate have a routine intake system assign each animal a number and keep a separate record for each animal
08:36
Speaker A
if the animal has been carried in by the finder immediately get the animal into a secure holding container if the animal is already in a container make sure it is secure and has adequate ventilation remove the animal from the intake area as soon as possible to reduce the
08:55
Speaker A
stress on the animal and to reduce the potential for the rescuer to try to take the animal back never examine the animal in the reception area or with a member of the public present make sure that your intake is professional and knowledgeable
09:20
Speaker A
an unsecured evaluation of an animal can lead to escape harm to humans and increase stress to the animal to recapture it also tends to make us look unprofessional the next few slides will address the particulars of the intake procedures
09:42
Speaker A
you may need to follow up with the finder obtain more information for reuniting and track a possible disease issue it is important to establish chain of custody on each animal admitted in most state or provincial jurisdictions it is part of the permitting requirements to have
10:05
Speaker A
basic admission procedures that includes anyone who may have handled the animal contact and chain of custody will include the person who brings in the animal the person who found the animal the person who captured the animal any name contact address phone number and email basically the name of anyone
10:32
Speaker A
who came into contact with the animal and if there was any contact with companion animals this is especially important when dealing with wild mammals and known rabies vector species for your area sometimes the public does not consider potential zoonotic or parasitic infections that a
10:54
Speaker A
wild animal could bring into the home and may get caught up in the novelty of being close to a wild animal they may unwittingly expose their pets to potential problems rehabilitators are more aware of potential hazards and this provides us once again with an opportunity to educate
11:17
Speaker A
in most cases the wildlife rehabilitator will be able to identify the animal the finder may think it is something else you can ask what does the rescuer think the animal is what was the reason for the capture and if it is a neonate or a hatchling it will be important to
11:38
Speaker A
provide an immediate heat source fluids for rehydration and start of nutritional protocol where did they find it exact location includes exact address if possible or a mile marker very specific instructions about how many miles or kilometers and in which direction and on what
12:05
Speaker A
side of the road you can also utilize gps systems for exact coordinates or drop a pin on google maps and ask for details as to the terrain landscape and access again pictures or videos are extremely helpful other specific details that are very important for reuniting
12:29
Speaker A
release or disease prevention include details about where the animal was actually found was it in an open field was it in a woodland was it on a roadway was it near human habitation for example was it found under a window or was it found down a chimney
12:53
Speaker A
when was the animal first observed first captured some finders don't feel comfortable admitting that they have had an animal any length of time but knowing this information will help us assist the animal in terms of treatment for example if we know the animal hasn't eaten for several days this will step up our treatment plan
13:18
Speaker A
while it would be nice to think finders seek assistance right away this is not always the case why does the rescuer think the animal needs help very young animals are often perceived as orphans there can be obvious signs of injury such as limping wing dragging lying down or insects
13:44
Speaker A
crawling on the animal some not so obvious reasons for rescue could include habitat destruction the animal is basically healthy but the nest or tree may have been removed or destroyed by bad weather some other reasons for rescue or intervention could include that the animal has fallen into
14:06
Speaker A
a well or a trench or it has fallen from a nest or from slopes or it is stuck in a bog or a quagmire it could be on a road or has been hit by a train it could be found alone or found due to disease
14:22
Speaker A
debility or poisoning listen to the rescuer not all situations involving young wildlife are due to lack of knowledge on the part of the finder many situations are legitimate reasons for intervention however they may still be salvageable in terms of reuniting young with adults
14:45
Speaker A
get as much detail as you can and prepare to invest time and effort into reuniting if possible it is important to find out everything that has happened to the animal since being rescued how was the animal captured how has the animal been treated was first aid offered and if so
15:10
Speaker A
what was food or water offered what items were offered and some of these items may not have been appropriate or eaten if a veterinarian was involved was there a diagnosis were there x-rays taken were medications given and if so what medications
15:31
Speaker A
how has the animal been housed and how has the animal been handled it is imperative to find out everything that has happened to the animal since it was rescued now you as a rehabilitator have to make the following considerations
15:52
Speaker A
are you permitted are you dealing with a threatened or endangered or species at risk do you need to report it to state provincial or federal authorities is there a zoonosis vector concern or is this a non-native species are you capable how many animals can you reasonably manage
16:16
Speaker A
do you have the knowledge and technical abilities do you have the financial resources do you have the facilities what animals do you currently have in care and what are their needs it's always good to have a plan and relationships with fellow rehabilitators
16:35
Speaker A
and work cooperatively for the benefit of the animal communicating with the public effectively and compassionately will assist you in maintaining professional integrity and managing your own stressful times some finders can be problematic people quickly become attached to animals they may be reluctant to give up the animal and be
17:03
Speaker A
emotionally attached having a receiving area separate from the treatment area will allow you to more easily physically remove the animal from the finder finders can quickly bond with their animal always treat finders courteously and educate about animals being wild creatures
17:26
Speaker A
not domesticated animals do not discuss euthanasia if possible but do not avoid it if necessary in other words don't conceal or deny it a finder may become emotional and angry but help them to understand that wildlife live very different lives than us or domestic animals your safety is
17:50
Speaker A
important do not escalate a problem always speak quietly and compassionately and always focus on the care the animal needs have a method to notify someone if you feel you are in trouble for example if you are going to meet someone advise someone else of where when and whom you are meeting
Topics:wildlife rehabilitationwildlife admissionintake proceduresIWRCwildlife rescueanimal welfarechain of custodyzoonotic diseaseorphaned wildliferehabilitator training

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