Our Flowchart for Baby Animals
Please see our flowcharts for baby birds and baby mammals for determining if you are dealing with an emergency, as well as more contacts for getting expert help, depending on the species of wildlife.
Important note on this free service: BWRC will do what’s possible to assist over the phone first, and provide a rescue if necessary. We will always do the best we can and thanks to our many years of experience in wildlife rescue, we are confident that will be able to assist for some emergencies via the phone.
Myths About Babies
Very often people perceive an animal as orphaned, when it is not. Please call us before you intervene. It is an old myth and untruth that a wild animal baby will be rejected by its mother if a human has touched it. Often enough, we can just return a baby to a nest, or remove it out of the immediate danger zone (in reach of our domestic pets) and the emergency is resolved. Remember, a baby is always best off raised by its mother.
Life Threatening Wildlife Emergencies
Human safety always comes first! If you have a “problem animal” that is potentially life threatening, for example a jaguar or crocodile, please call BWRC at immediately.
If you find an injured animal, keep a distance. Know that the animal will likely be very afraid and may try to defend itself. Injured animals could potentially hurt you. Please do not approach unless the animal unless you have training in capture and restraint of that particular species. Most wildlife species are potential disease transmitters, some of which could be transmissible to us. So unless you are trained and experienced in capturing and handling a particular animal species, please call BWRC first.
We will continue to add relevant information on Wildlife Emergencies as we continue to develop the response team in cooperation with our registered partners and the Belize Forest Department.
