Wildlife Advice

Found wildlife that may be injured or in distress?

Keep yourself safe first. Do not enter a road, railway, water, steep ground or another dangerous location to reach an animal.

Look from a safe distance

Signs that may indicate a problem include visible injury, bleeding, inability to stand or fly normally, severe weakness, abnormal movement, obvious entanglement, or an animal remaining in a dangerous position and unable to move away.

Do not assume every animal that stays still needs to be picked up. Some wildlife will freeze or hide when frightened, and some young animals are left alone naturally while a parent is nearby.

Do not handle unsafe wildlife

Do not attempt to handle large wildlife, birds of prey, deer, foxes, badgers, seals, otters, swans, geese, herons, large seabirds, adders, bats or any animal whose behaviour or species makes handling unsafe.

Never handle a bat with bare hands. Do not touch dead wild birds. Keep children and pets away, and do not feed or give water unless specifically advised to do so.