Anyone encountering dead, injured, sick, or potentially abandoned wildlife should report it to the nearest Forest Management District Office or call 709-685-7273. Wild birds and other wildlife, including dead wildlife, may carry and transmit diseases such as avian influenza, rabies, or canine distemper. Handling wildlife can be dangerous and pose threats to human health, pets, and domestic livestock.

Department staff recently responded to reports of people attempting to rehabilitate injured or sick wildlife. Two sick foxes removed from the wild on the Avalon Peninsula tested preliminary positive for avian influenza, and test results are pending for two more foxes from the Avalon Peninsula and Notre Dame Bay areas. Due to the high risk of avian influenza in wild birds and their predators, the department is not currently issuing taxidermy permits.

The instinct to assist wild animals that appear to be sick, injured, newborn, orphaned, or abandoned, or to remove dead animals from the wild, is understandable; however, all wildlife should be left undisturbed in their natural habitat. Conservation Officers trained in the safe handling of wildlife will determine whether a public safety concern or other reason warrants removing wildlife from its natural surroundings.

Information on preventing the spread of avian influenza is available from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s website. Hunters and trappers should also follow Public Health Agency of Canada guidelines regarding wildlife and avian influenza.

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