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Stop! Do NOT attempt to handle a live badger, deer or fox. They can all inflict severe injuries to humans. You can protect these larger mammals from receiving further injury by positioning a car with its hazard warning lights and headlights on, behind the creature, to warn other road users, providing it does not endanger you or other road users.

Do move any dead creatures off the highway as they can attract other birds and animals to them as they will scavenge, which then places these other wildlife, and road users, at further risk. To check if a creature is dead, a gentle prod with a long stick should be enough to provoke some response if it is still alive.

In the boot of your car it can be handy to carry a strong cardboard box (or pet carrier), a torch, a towel and a pair of thick gardening gauntlets.

Covering an injured animal will help reduce stress and keep it warm, but do not over handle the animal or bird. Put it somewhere quiet, dark and warm. Wild creatures are not calmed by contact with humans. Talking to them and stroking them can only increase their stress.

Do keep the number of your nearest wildlife rescue centre to hand. We suggest keeping one copy near the phone and one copy in your car.

Do keep all birds away from your face. Long beaked and long necked birds (herons and grebes in particular) will peck at anything shiny, your eyes being an obvious target.

Do watch out for the talons on birds of prey (owls, kestrels, sparrow hawks, etc.) as these are their most dangerous weapon. Throw a towel over the bird and pick it up using thick gloves.

A basic rule of thumb - if you can pick up any wildlife it probably needs help.
The most important exception to this rule is baby deer (fawns). The adult deer will leave them hidden in undergrowth for anything up to eight hours at a time. If the fawns have human scent on them the adult may well abandon them. If you are in any doubt contact your local wildlife centre who will ensure that the fawn is discreetly monitored until the mother deer returns.

Also fox cubs can be moved by a vixen and left for a while. Give the vixen a chance to return to pick it up. The more noise the cub makes the more chance of the vixen hearing it and retrieving it.

Baby birds can often be placed back in a nest (using gloved hands) if it can be located. Monitor from a distance to see that the parent birds return to the nest. Baby birds are fed pretty constantly throughout daylight hours, so if a parent bird does not return within an hour or so, contact your local rescue centre for help.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with some of what you said.

1. You should NOT attempt to move a dead animal from the road. It could be diseased, therefore, you must call city maintenance or animal control.

2. If you put fledglings back into their nests. Touching them will leave human scent on him which will either make the parents reject the bird or kill it.

3. You shouldn't attempt to even move an injured bird. Try to make sure it remains where it is and immediately call an animal rescue team. Although, if there is more danger to leaving it where it is (On a highway, near a road or if there are alot of loose dogs around)

But I also agree with some of what you said as well. You should have the number for an animal rescue team around. And you shouldn't touch a fawn unless it's been more than a day or two on it's own...Even if it was, you shouldn't go near it, you should call an animal rescue team.

It your word against one of the biggest Wildlife centre's in Britan. But I do agree, but if you DO take it into a Wildlife centre, they can spray it with this stuff witch removes all human scent, but still, if the perants still reject it, the centre (Free of charge... Most times) Will take it in untill it is ready to go back into the wild.

For more info visit: Wildlife Aid Homepage

Yes, the young birds should be brought to a rescue center. THEY can put it back if that stuff they claim to have actually works, but you as an ordinary person, should NOT put the bird back.

Like it said, place a camera outside the nest, and see if the mother bird returns, if it exepts it, than take it away, but otherwise take it away THAN call your local Wildlife/RSPCA centre.

I'm still not convinced. I would never place a fledgling back into it's nest. From my knowledge (which is from many books, animal planet and my own experience with my own birds) I think it's best to let the rescue centers deal with it. They can decide weither their spray will work or whatever. I honestly think putting the bird back is gambling it's life, which is...wrong.

Well, it would be best to wear hand protection (Gauntlets), so it takes away most human scent, than there would be more chance of it being exepted.

Uh...no. That wouldn't work because the gloves have human scent on them. And also, I think ordinary people wouldn't own any special "scentless" gloves. So, handling the bird without putting human scent on it is impossible (as an ordinary person).

Well, where I live in England, I am well out of WIldlife Aid's terrortory, but I always call for advice, now I know gloves still have human scent on it, but, it's not as strong (Unless you completely keep them under your shirt) But still, I tried putting a bird back in it's nest (Than I got the RSPCA to come and give me a Infared camera) And after about 3 hours, the mother returned, and there still living in my garden. (And the RSPCA haven't claimedthere camera)

Gloves have as much human scent on them as a shirt cause both are kept in human habitat. So, no difference there.

I guess things are different in Canada...Here they wouldn't give us a camera, they would cease the bird.

Well, if the bird didn't get exepted, than WA would ask us to give it to the RSPCA.

You hunt? Well, this advice is actually for professinals, I found out about 2 days ago