Found injured or apparently abandoned wildlife

Many species deliberately leave their young alone, and that is a form of protection. In some hoofed animals such as roe deer, fawns lie well hidden and motionless in the grass during the day in their first weeks of life. The mother feeds nearby and only returns to suckle, so that she does not lead predators to the hiding place. A person standing next to the fawn or touching it can keep the mother away.

It is similar with many songbirds. The young leave the nest before they can fly properly, sit on twigs or on the ground and call for food. The parents are nearby and keep feeding them. Such fledglings look helpless but are in a completely normal stage of development.

It is different with animals that are visibly injured: blood, a drooping wing, an animal that cannot stand up or turns in circles. They need expert help. Wildlife rescue centres and vets know what care is possible and what is legally permitted – and sometimes also that an animal can no longer be helped.

Your own safety comes first. On the road this means: secure the scene, keep your distance from large animals, keep children and dogs away. In the garden or woods it means: do not get too close, so the animal does not panic and flee or attack.

Then you observe from a distance. Is the animal injured or just alone? With uninjured young animals it is worth waiting a long time from further away to see whether parents come. Sometimes it takes a long time for a mother to return, and she will not come while people are nearby. It is best to leave the spot promptly and check again later from afar.

After that you call experts: a regional wildlife rescue, a vet, an animal welfare organisation, the conservation or hunting authority or the police. Describe the location precisely and offer a photo taken from a distance. Only if the experts explicitly ask you do you place a small animal in a ventilated box using gloves or a cloth and keep it quiet, dark and warm until help arrives.

Never handle wild animals, especially mammals and bats, with bare hands. Bites and scratches can transmit diseases, in some regions including rabies. Seek medical help after any bite or scratch from a wild animal – even if the wound looks small.

Never touch or hold large injured animals such as deer or wild boar. In panic they can kick, butt with antlers or bite and cause serious injuries. After a wildlife collision: hazard lights on, put on the hi-vis vest, set up the warning triangle, move behind the crash barrier. If people are injured, call the local emergency number (112 in the EU), then notify the police or responsible body.

And do not feed the animal or give it anything to drink. What is good for people or pets can harm wild animals – milk and bread, for example, are unsuitable for many wild animals. A weakened animal can also choke when water is poured into its mouth.

In many countries it is prohibited to take or keep wild animals – even injured ones – without permission. For game species such as roe deer or wild boar, hunting law often applies: anyone who takes such an animal, even a dead one after a collision, may be committing an offence. Protected species are subject to their own, often strict rules.

Well-meant care at home also often goes wrong. Wild animals need special food, housing and experience, and an animal raised by humans often cannot survive later in the wild. Wildlife rescue centres therefore work to keep animals shy so they can be released again.

Look up the phone number of a regional wildlife rescue or the responsible authority before you need it, and save it in your phone. In the moment of finding an animal you are excited, and then it is good not to have to search first. A pair of disposable gloves in the car or backpack does no harm.

With children, the rules can be discussed calmly beforehand: “If we find a baby animal, we don't touch it, we move a bit away and call someone.” That turns compassion into help that really benefits the animal. With a bird that has flown into a window, experts often advise leaving it quiet and protected from cats; some recover on their own after a while.