Episode Notes
NonprofitA non-governmental organization whose primary purpose is something other than selling goods or services. Specialist Julia and Community Education Specialist Andie talk about how you might encounter requests outside of the scope of your missionThe stated goals and activities of an organization. An animal sanctuary’s mission is commonly focused on objectives such as animal rescue and public advocacy. or your capacity generally, and in particular when those requests concern wild living animals. We offer a framework where you can say no, while still offering support, and also what to do when you feel you must say yes! Andie offers additional guidance on safely assisting wild living animals while prioritizing sanctuary staff and resident safety as well!
This Episode’s Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:
- Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Sanctuary Infographic | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Managing Requests to Take In and Help an Animal Outside the Scope of Your Sanctuary’s Mission | The Open Sanctuary Project
- BiosecurityMerck Veterinary Manual defines biosecurity as ”the implementation of measures that reduce the risk of the introduction and spread of disease agents [pathogens].” Part 1: Introduction | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Biosecurity Part 2: Creating And Implementing A Biosecurity Plan | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Going Green: Your Animal Sanctuary and The Environment | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Determining Your Animal Sanctuary’s Capacity For Responsible Care | The Open Sanctuary Project
- How To Create An Effective Rescue Policy For Your Animal Sanctuary | The Open Sanctuary Project
Episode Transcript (Auto-GeneratedThe following content was transcribed through an automated process and may contain transcription errors or misspellings.)
Julia Magnus: Welcome to another episode of the Open Sanctuary Podcast. I’m Julia, the nonprofit specialist and I’m chatting with Andie Springirth, our community education specialist who also has a background in wildlife rehabilitation. In our last podcast, we talked about how animal sanctuaries can peacefully coexist with wild living animals, ensuring the safety and well-being of both their beloved residents and the wildlife that shares their environment. Today, we’re tackling a really common and often challenging topic for sanctuaries: What to do when you receive requests to help animals, especially wildlife, that are outside the scope of your mission or beyond your capacity. Every animal rescueAn organization that helps secure animals from dangerous or unacceptable situations. As organizations, rescues may or may not have dedicated permanent infrastructure for housing animals. organization at its heart wants to say yes to every animal in need. It’s why most of us got into this work. But the reality is every animal sanctuary has limited capacity for responsible care. And it’s vitally important for the health and happiness of current residents and the longevity of the sanctuary itself to recognize and comply with those limitations. We have spent a lot of time talking about capacity on this very podcast and we also have a written resource on the subject that we’ve dropped in the show notes, but today we want to focus on the question of how you might handle requests with respect to wildlife. Andy, you authored an extremely comprehensive resource on this subject which we are also listing in the show notes. In addition to offering some guidance with respect to some species requests that you may encounter, it also outlines a framework for managing requests for help which may be outside of your scope. So Andy, what would be the first step in managing this type of situation?
Andie Springirth: Great question. So we know that saying no is never easy. On the hopeful side, friends, there really are ways to make this process of saying no more manageable. A key strategy when it comes to managing any intake decision is to create an effective rescue policy that’s also accessible to the public. So, this policy really should very clearly explain your limitations as well as your criteria for taking in an animal, including the specific species your sanctuary is currently able to responsibly take in and care for. And having that clear policy upfront can really help manage expectations on both ends, both within your organization and the public. We also, of course, here’s our tagline, we have a resource on this, and we’re going to put that in the show notes as well.
Julia Magnus: That makes a lot of sense, Andy. It provides a public-facing, professional framework. But beyond policy, what about the human element here? It must be. I mean, I know it is. It’s very emotionally taxing to turn animals away. So, it’s about sustainability, right? An organization that doesn’t take care of itself just will not be able to serve animals well in the long run. That’s a really powerful reminder that self-care for the organization and the humans of the organization is ultimately conducive and promotes good animal care. So, once you’ve established your rescue policy and worked on creating structures for managing internal stress, what practical tools can help you say no while still being helpful?
Andie Springirth: Yeah, this is unfortunately another reality of sanctuary rescue work. It’s a weekly, if not daily, thing that folks have to go through. So, this is where recognizing and managing compassion fatigueA form of Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder that can affect anyone serving individuals who have experienced or are currently experiencing trauma. and burnoutA physical and emotion reaction to prolonged, unmanaged workplace stress. really comes in. Just to provide some brief definitions and distinctions between the two. Compassion fatigue is a form of what’s called secondary traumatic stress disorder, while burnout is a physical and emotional reaction to prolonged unmanaged workplace stress. The feeling that you must do everything you can to help another, even if it’s at the expense of your own mental and physical health, is a real significant contributor to these issues. And if it’s left unmanaged, they can have some very serious effects on your staff, your residents, and your entire organization. But learning to manage these can make it easier to politely say no, especially to very challenging requests.
Andie Springirth: Yeah, I mean it’s worth mentioning that our work at OSP can often come in handy when you’re getting a request that you have to refuse, at least when it comes to farmed animalsA species or specific breed of animal that is raised by humans for the use of their bodies or what comes from their bodies.. So sometimes folks who are reaching out to ask for placement of an animal may just feel that they lack the knowledge to properly care for that animal.
Julia Magnus: Yeah, I know that I personally shared OSP resources with would-be animal surrenderers who were then able to review them and feel confident enough to keep and care for the animal in question. Specifically, I know that our indoor chicken and rooster stigma resources have done wonders to help people retain birds they thought they might have to give up that they didn’t understand, and it helped them gain the understanding. So, yes, when it comes to farmed animals, it really can help to have reliable and freely accessible information that you can share with people to empower them. I know though that gets trickier when it comes to wild living animals. So, what would you suggest setting up for those kinds of requests?
Andie Springirth: One of the most effective tools in my opinion is to create a rescue and referral network because this allows you to kindly say no to a direct intake but still guide people to other rescues that do or hopefully will be able to take in that specific species and who are comfortable with direct contact. So, having strong relationships with groups like local companion animalAn animal who spends regular time with humans in their home and life. Typically cats and dogs are considered companion animals, though many species of animals could also be companion animals.<animal rescuesOrganizations that help secure animals from dangerous or unacceptable situations. As organizations, rescues may or may not have dedicated permanent infrastructure for housing animals. as well as wildlife rehabilitators is especially helpful.
Julia Magnus: Yeah, that’s a really fantastic idea. It’s about some of my favorite things, collaboration and building relationships and not just saying no. And your resource even suggests additional steps that you can take to build these relationships further, right?
Andie Springirth: Yes. So, if you’re able while you’re collaborating with these various other types of organizations, we highly recommend that you consider providing mutual support to them by donating to their organization or the rehabilitator that agrees to take in the animals that are outside of your organization’s scope. Not just farmed animal sanctuariesAnimal sanctuaries that primarily care for rescued animals that were farmed by humans., but also companion animal rescues and wildlife rehabilitators and wildlife organizations are also very overwhelmed and under-resourced often. And a lot of effort goes into rescue and rehabbing those animals in distress. So, a donation, even if it’s just a small one, as most of us know, can really make a big difference.
Julia Magnus: I love that. So, that covers saying no while also providing alternative options for support. But what if a sanctuary decides to say yes to temporary help or housing for an animal outside their mission? Perhaps for an injured wild animal that they might encounter on their property.
Andie Springirth: Yeah, this is where it gets a little bit more complex and safety becomes paramount. So, if you say yes to temporarily housing animals that are outside your sanctuary scope, you really need to contact an appropriate animal sanctuary, companion animal shelterAn organization, either government-funded and maintained or not-for-profit and funded by charitable contributions, with a physical infrastructure in which homeless animals are cared for and offered for adoption., or wildlife rehabilitator as soon as you possibly can. The resource that Julia is referring to that’s going to be in the show notes, it offers and provides some different contact information for several national wildlife rehabilitator associations. And we also provide information and advice on calling your local animal control or state wildlife agency if that’s also necessary. What happens if you can’t get a hold of somebody right away? As most folks who are probably listening in the sanctuary world know for themselves, folks in the wildlife community are also extremely busy. So, it can take several hours to receive a call back. So, try contacting another professional and remain as calm as possible in the meantime. And if the animal hasn’t been captured yet, it’s paramount to wait for detailed guidance from a local professional because your safety, your staff safety, and your resident safety comes first. So, safety always being the top priority. Speaking of safety, we mentioned this a little bit last week, but let’s mention it again because it’s another area where safety is critical. How about biosecurity?
Andie Springirth: Yeah, this is a really critical point because bringing animals that are outside the scope of your mission into your facilities and onto your property can certainly put your residents and organization at risk. So, as Julia mentioned last week, right, with the current risk of a highly pathogenic avian influenza or HPAI, it’s very important to quarantineThe policy or space in which an individual is separately housed away from others as a preventative measure to protect other residents from potentially contagious health conditions, such as in the case of new residents or residents who may have been exposed to certain diseases. rescues even if they’re temporary, off-site for 30 days, ideally in a home without other birds. But if off-site is not an option, you must safely observe the biosecurity measures you have in place to protect your existing residents. If you’re operating in an HPAI control zone, you absolutely must not bring birds in. And if you cannot follow proper biosecurity measures, saying no is vitally important to the safety of your staff and your current residents. So yes, strict biosecurity, non-negotiable for temporary housing. What does that look like? So if you decide to take in animals intermittently, you must have an isolationIn medical and health-related circumstances, isolation represents the act or policy of separating an individual with a contagious health condition from other residents in order to prevent the spread of disease. In non-medical circumstances, isolation represents the act of preventing an individual from being near their companions due to forced separation. Forcibly isolating an individual to live alone and apart from their companions can result in boredom, loneliness, anxiety, and distress. area available to keep them away from incumbent and current residents. A fence alone is insufficient because many diseases are airborne. Anyone who comes into contact with an isolated individual must follow very strict protocols which can include an isolation suit, boots or boot covers, gloves or hand disinfectant, foot baths, and if there’s fear or risk of airborne disease, masks. And it’s also very vital to keep records of all intakes, even temporary ones, for both legal and biosecurity protocols.
Julia Magnus: Beyond bio, what are the general best practices for handling distressed wild animals? Your resource actually provides so much detail there and I really, really encourage folks to go check it out.
Andie Springirth: Yes, please do. I’m going to repeat that because there is a lot of information for each individual species in there. And even though some of them overlap, it is important to look through the detailed notes on each species because sometimes the guidance varies significantly. But the overarching message is to protect yourself first. Always wear gloves. Disinfection is essential. Call a professionally trained and licensed wildlife rehabilitator before you respond. Do not touch wild animals with your bare hands whenever possible. Again, as a reminder, they can carry transmissible diseases. Ticks, fleas, mites, lice, lots of other parasites and fun things, fun little bugs. And again, as we mentioned last week, if you get bitten, scratched, licked, or even spit or hissed on by a wild animal, particularly one that is a rabies vector species, please, please do seek medical attention right away.
Julia Magnus: So, how about interacting with these animals once they’re contained?
Andie Springirth: This is really crucial, keeping those safety things in mind. We also want to keep in mind the safety of the wild living animal that we’re potentially temporarily taking care of. So, this is where this phrase ‘keep wild wild’ kind of comes in that I like to use, which essentially means handling them as little as possible. So, petting, stroking, singing, even talking to a wild animal can actually harmThe infliction of mental, emotional, and/or physical pain, suffering, or loss. Harm can occur intentionally or unintentionally and directly or indirectly. Someone can intentionally cause direct harm (e.g., punitively cutting a sheep's skin while shearing them) or unintentionally cause direct harm (e.g., your hand slips while shearing a sheep, causing an accidental wound on their skin). Likewise, someone can intentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool and encouraging folks who purchase them to buy more products made from the wool of farmed sheep) or unintentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool, which inadvertently perpetuates the idea that it is ok to commodify sheep for their wool). them and even in some cases kill them from the stress of it. Wild animals really don’t want to be around us humans. They typically don’t want the type of interaction that in a sanctuary, a farmed animal sanctuaryAn animal sanctuary that primarily cares for rescued animals that were farmed by humans. setting, we more so experience. Not always, right? Of course, depending on the species and the individual and their background, etc., etc., but I think it can become kind of an easy trap to fall into if we’re around domesticatedAdapted over time (as by selective breeding) from a wild or natural state to life in close association with and to the benefit of humans animals. Wild animals totally different. So, on that topic, keep your children, companion animalsAnimals who spend regular time with humans in their home and life. Typically cats and dogs are considered companion animals, though many species of animals could also be companion animals., farmed animals, loud noises away from these wild animals. They do not find any of these things comforting. And the goal of course in wildlife rehabilitation is always to release them so that they can be free living again. So habituating them in any way really puts their life at risk.
Julia Magnus: That’s a really important ethical consideration. So how about food and water? Is it okay to offer a wild living animal food and water once you have them contained?
Andie Springirth: Yeah, it’s a really, really great question, Julia. So, this is going to sound counterintuitive for a lot of people, but wildlife rehabilitators will 99.999% of the time strongly advise not to feed them and not to give them anything to drink. But be in dialogue with your local professional. That guidance may or may not change, but again, as general guidance, it’s a no. And that’s because providing food to an animal who is dehydrated, starving, or suffering from trauma can actually cause serious harm as their body might not be strong enough yet to digest food which can lead to things like diarrhea and even sometimes unfortunately death. And similarly forcing water can lead to it ending up in their lungs. They can, we call, aspiration which can cause pneumonia and of course death. And a water bowl, it doesn’t just have to be a small species. It can be a large species who’s at risk right now. Even a water bowl can pose a drowning or hypothermia risk if they panic or if they’re not conscious. So again it’s more important to focus on stabilizing the animal by keeping them warm and calm. And I might add, in most cases, it’s best to keep them in a dark place. So, no food or drink for the majority of cases.
Julia Magnus: Thank you. That is really, really good to know and I’m sure will help many people with good intentions who do not want to cause harm. So, this is great because that resource, as you mentioned, gets into specific species. So, why don’t we talk about those in particular and the very particular warnings that have to do with certain species. Do you want to share some of those?
Andie Springirth: Yeah. So, just to kind of reiterate what we spoke of briefly earlier and also in last week’s podcast, right? RVS animals, what we call rabies vector species such as raccoons, groundhogs, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats are considered high risk for rabies transmission. So, if you find one that is alert, do not touch this animal with your bare hands. Even if you find one, friends, that’s not alert, do not touch this animal with your bare hands, please. These species should only be handled and transported by people who have been previously vaccinated against rabies and who are also professionally trained, licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Again, if you have any bare-handed contact with them or are scratched or bitten, licked, spit on, hissed at by the animal, you should seek medical attention immediately and heed the professional guidance regarding what to do with that animal as well. Moving on a little bit to non-RVS species, but species nonetheless that are really important to think more about specifics. In terms of deer, please do not try to touch, move, or pick up an adult injured deer ever. They are, regardless of what it looks like their condition is, they are incredibly strong and can be incredibly aggressive if they are not feeling well or are feeling threatened. They’re also highly susceptible to something that’s called capture myopathy, which is a stress-induced condition that is often fatal. And for this very reason, a lot of states actually prohibit adult deer rehabilitation, which is a very sad reality. But for folks who are listening, don’t just take that verbatim. It’s always important to contact your local wildlife rehabilitators. They’ll know what the laws are regarding that particular topic. If you see a dead doe with surviving fawns, that is actually very common. It’s very sad, but it’s very common. Or if you see fawns who are injured or orphaned by themselves, please, please contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately so they can help them. In the vast majority of states, almost every wildlife rehabber will take in a baby deer. Another common wildlife animal that people run into are snapping turtles, believe it or not. Super cool animal. Really need to exercise extreme caution around them, hence the name snapping. They have very powerful jaws. If you must pick one up, avoid the front half of their body and keep your hands away from their mouths. For more information on that, please see the resource or even better, contact your local wildlife rehabilitator. For large waterfowl or wading birds, like swans, geeseUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated goose breeds, not wild geese, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource., herons, and bitterns. They may look super cool, beautiful, and cute, but they can be darn dangerous if you try to handle them. And that’s not just because they’re actually quite large, but also because they’re very strong, stronger than they look, and some of those have incredibly sharp beaks, particularly our bitterns. So, I highly recommend again call a professionally trained rehabber to handle them. Our lovely possum friends, while they are generally not aggressive, possums like other wild animals can certainly become aggressive if they’re frightened and they can also excrete this lovely, lovely smelling substance. By which I mean it’s very foul smelling. They can also, quote unquote, play possum which is really a comatose state that can last from a few minutes to several hours. So a lot of folks when they pass what appears to be a dead possum on the side of the road might actually be in this comatose state. And I talk a little bit more about this in the resource. Please never put yourself at risk ever, especially if you’re driving on the road. But if there is a safe way to potentially push them off the road because you are uncertain of whether or not they’re actually dead or playing possum, keeping in mind your safety at all times. Some people do intervene there and push them off, not with their bare hands, but off of the road to let them slowly wake up. Possums also can carry lots of lovely diseases and things, including something that’s called leptospirosis. It’s a bacterial disease that’s transmissible to humans via their urine and feces. So again, keeping your biosecurity in mind and your safety at the forefront at all times. Okay, let’s see a few other species that this resource mentions. Squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and rats. We kind of put them into this one smaller rodent category. They have very long, sharp teeth and strong jaws. Again, they look really cute, especially when their cheeks are full. But they will bite. So please, please, please, if you decide you want to take the risk to handle them to get them to safety, use thick gloves. Extreme caution. Be safe. Contact your wildlife rehabber. I’m going to say that 8 million times today. Wild rabbitsUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated rabbit breeds, not wild rabbits, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource.. Okay. Similar to deer, they are extremely vulnerable to capture myopathy as well. They also are very prone to spinal fractures if they’re handled by inexperienced people. Unfortunately, they can also carry lots of yucky diseases like tularemia, which is another bacterial disease transmissible to humans. So, extreme caution no matter what. Snakes, highly recommend not picking them up ever with your bare hands unless you are absolutely certain that they are not venomous. But even nonvenomous snakes, friends, can carry bacteria. And also importantly, this is something I didn’t learn for many, many, many years, is that venomous snakes can reflexively bite hours after they’ve died. Like a lot of other animals, snakes can carry salmonella. Speaking of salmonella, another very cute wild living animal friend that we often come into contact with are turtles and tortoises. They can carry salmonella, too. Most can be safely picked up. Some are dangerous, right? But again, contact your local wildlife rehabber if you’re unsure of what to do. In most cases, though, they’ll be able to safely guide you to help them get to safety.
Julia Magnus: Quick question on the turtles, Andy. Lots of people see them crossing the road. If you see a turtle trying to cross the road, what should you do?
Andie Springirth: Do not remove uninjured turtles or tortoises from their territory. That’s very important. Their survivability literally depends on being returned to their home range. So, if you are one of those lovely, compassionate people who is driving by and you see a very slow turtle or tortoise friend trying to cross the road and you decide that it is safe to pull over and help them cross, please take them across in the direction that they were originally going. That’s super important for those friends. And if they’re injured, right? You should take note of where they came from.
Julia Magnus: Absolutely. Absolutely. For the wildlife rehabber. Yeah. That’s so. Gosh, I hope 100% of the time if you are working with a local rehabber, one of the first questions on most intake forms is where you found the animal. That’s because most rehabbers, depending on the species, really want to re-release them when it’s safe to do so back into their home territory. Yes.
Andie Springirth: Thank you, Julia. Just a few more that we included in the resource. I know friends are probably like, “Oh my God.” And believe it or not, the resource is way more comprehensive than this. But we hope this is helpful for folks who are listening to this information in this format. Frogs and toads, again, super cute. Actually, not for all people, I should say, but for most of us, we think they’re pretty darn cute. Generally, also safe to pick up with gloves, but as some folks may know, they secrete toxins through their skin and can also carry salmonella. Likewise, if a sanctuary resident, like if you have a dog who puts a toad in their mouth, please, please call your vet and seek veterinary attention immediately because that poison can actually be lethal in some circumstances. So, in fewer circumstances, but definitely well worth the mention, you may also run into injured or orphaned or sick or stranded marine mammals or sea turtles depending on where you live. So, this is really important here. Please do not attempt to approach, handle, feed, or transport a marine mammal or sea turtle ever. You really need to report this incident or this animal immediately to NOAA’s marine mammal health and stranding response program as it’s actually illegal to interfere with them under state and federal laws. So for more information on that contact again please see show notes for the resource. All right and finally Julia for many smaller mammals I’m just going to briefly mention this here indirect capture methods. So if you’re trying to capture an injured, orphaned, or sick smaller animal there are some indirect capture methods that are safer, like the spider or scooch method, using containers, blankets, or brooms to kind of guide them in. And once contained, the advice is again to put them in a warm, dark, quiet place until a licensed professional wildlife rehabilitator can take them. Handle them as little as possible, and again, please do not disturb or repeatedly check on them. That is a lot of crucial information, and it’s super helpful. And not to worry, as we mentioned, you don’t need to take notes. It’s all in the resource. It really also highlights the importance of working with specialists. Yeah. And as one final general point, if a wild animal has been in the mouth of a cat, contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately, please. Because regardless of visible wounds, especially for our bird species friends, the animal will likely need medication for pending infection. Cats have some nasty bacteria, and for dogs, contact a rehabber for bacterial reasons, but more so because their powerful jaws can cause very serious injuries. And crucially, please do not trap and relocate wild animals. We spoke about this a little bit in our last episode. Most of the time, they have very specific home territories. Some of them are small home ranges, and relocating them really just puts their lives at risk. And it can also separate mom from their babies, which is not a good thing.
Julia Magnus: So to summarize a key takeaway, while every sanctuary wants to help, responsible care means understanding and respecting your limitations.
Andie Springirth: Yeah, exactly. So yeah, to summarize, friends, saying no, even though it’s incredibly hard to do so, sometimes it’s really the most responsible choice, right? You’re protecting your existing residents, your staff, and really the long-term viability of your mission. But when you can offer temporary help, it’s just really important that you do it with extreme caution. Again, prioritizing your safety and your strict biosecurity protocols and always aiming to transfer the animal to a qualified professional. And just as another general reminder, right, the goal for wild living animals is to keep wild wild. So collaboration with other rescues and rehabilitators is key to ensuring that every animal gets the best possible chance.
Julia Magnus: Thank you so much for all your work in this realm and also for sharing all the information you learned from it. It’s really such a tricky area and again your resource is even more packed with tips and helpful guidance for these situations. It’s freely accessible for quick reference whenever folks run into these situations which can be very unexpected and sudden. So I even have that bookmarked. You might want to bookmark it too if there are more subjects that we can uncover that could be useful, please feel free to contact us via our contact us page at opensanctuary.org. We’re always happy to hear community feedback and welcome suggestions for new resources. If you found this information valuable, please consider leaving us a five-star review. Also, if you like what we do and would like to support our work, we warmly welcome donations. We are a 501c3 organization, so your donations are tax-deductible and help us sustain our mission of providing freely accessible resources like this one so that every sanctuary is a success story. Thanks for listening, for your support, and we look forward to talking to you next time.
