Wildlife 911

It was late on a Friday afternoon. The opossum by the side of the road was dazed and possibly hurt. He had clearly been hit by a car. What's a caring passerby to do? You can't exactly dial 911 about an injured critter—but you can call a wildlife rehabilitator.

That's exactly what happened to the lucky opossum in the photo to the right. Someone saw that he was hurt and brought him to the wildlife rehabilitation center at Waterford Country School.

"First we made sure he had no broken bones," says Jason Clark, a wildlife rehabilitator at the Connecticut school. "After a few days he was eating all the food we gave him, so we knew he was okay. We were able to release him back into the wild."

Caring for Critters

Wildlife rehabilitators take care of all kinds of sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife. Besides opossums, Clark has cared for squirrels, snakes, swans, ducks, hawks, owls, rabbits, songbirds, chipmunks, and gulls—to name a few.

Waterford Country School takes in hundreds of animals each year. Animals stay until they are healthy. Many recover and are successfully returned to their wild homes. Others are never well enough to be released. The school counts turtles, snakes, owls, and a prairie dog among its permanent residents.

Success Stories

Many wild animals are released back into the wild each year. But Clark says the biggest success is when he's able to prevent someone from bringing in an animal who doesn't need it.

"For example, we often get calls about birds who can't fly," Clark tells us. "People think they're injured, but they're just young birds learning to fly. We tell people to watch them for a while to see of the parents are taking care of them."

The same goes for many other baby animals, including rabbits and fawns. (Read more in Critter Card Cutouts.)

It's best to call a wildlife rehabilitator before approaching an animal you think might be orphaned or injured, Clark says. "There's a good chance the animal should just be left alone."

To find a wildlife rehabilitator near you, click here. Then find out how you can help local rehabbers.