Always prioritize your safety and well-being! Be cautious and seek help from professionals as needed.
If an animal is in need of help, and you feel comfortable capturing the animal yourself, there are some best practices that can minimize the danger of harm to both yourself and the animal.
- Use a sheet or towel as a barrier between yourself and the animal. This can also be helpful if you’re capturing a flighted bird.
- Having a pair of thick gloves helps mitigate risk if you are capturing an animal that bites, such as a raccoon or squirrel.
- Wear eye protection, especially if attempting to capture a bird such as a pelican or cormorant.
- Minimize the amount of time you are in contact with the animal as much as possible. Handling the animal increases the amount of stress it is under and can make a bad situation worse.
Avoiding an injury is incredibly important. We don’t want you to be harmed trying to help an animal, but more importantly, we don’t want the animal to be harmed because you’re trying to help it.