For as long as I’ve been in the business of urban wildlife services, I’ve always periodically gotten calls regarding animals that appear to be injured, sick, or out of place. There are a number of topics that I could discuss regarding these, so I’ll try and address the most common questions and provide some resources, as there is only so much that we can do to help in these cases.

Seeing animals that appear to be out of place or active at the wrong time of day is a very common concern. One of the most important things to consider when dealing with this is time of year. We receive calls most commonly for fox, coyote, raccoon and skunk in regards to this. These four species are naturally nocturnal, but simply seeing one of them in the day doesn’t mean its sick.

During the colder months of winter, these animals are often active in the day as temperatures are less harsh. Coyote and Fox will spend daytime hours hunting rodents including mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, and other small animals while they have a greater chance at catching them. Skunks and Raccoons are opportunistic feeders and will eat meats or plant matter.

During winter days with the sun out they may be out digging for bugs in the thawed out soil. Making sure they are still walking and moving fine and not acting aggressively should tell you that they are okay, and you should just let them move on. The best solution is to let wildlife be wild and not interfere, only unless necessary. If the animal has invaded too close and is damaging or entering your home, or spending too much time under your shed or deck and possibly causing interactions from being too close, then you should call and request our services.

The other type of call we get frequently but don’t provide services for are sick or injured animals. Animals that are struck by vehicles are often seen in yards next to roads and can be an unpleasant sight.

If the animal has died, we do provide services to remove that animal if it is on your property. If the animal is on the roadway, it is considered town property and you should call either Mass DOT or your specific towns DPW (department of public works). Injured animals, if left alone, will either heal up over time and push through to become healthy again, or die due to their injuries.

You have a few different options here. Reaching out to a rehabilitation group is one, and depending on their capacity and ability to take care of that animal, may or may not be able to take it in. A few Massachusetts licensed wildlife rehabilitators are listed here

Thomas Howe (mammals) - 413-519-1975
Erin Sewell (mammals) - 413-272-5686
Suzanne Lijek (mammals) 413-255-0648
Dr. Sherry Himmelstein (birds) 413-782-3183
Mass Division of Fish and Wildlife - 413-323-7632

Some animals that can become sick with diseases, most commonly rabies -include skunks, raccoons, fox, coyote and bats. Bats are most often encountered in the home and we do bat removal and entry point exclusion. For that service, call us and we will set up a time with you. As for the others, once the animal has started showing symptoms of the disease, it is pretty easy to spot. As mentioned above, simply seeing an animal in the daytime does not mean it is rabid. Unusual curiosity in people and pets, aggression, and inability to properly walk and move around are the most obvious visual cues of a sick mammal. The only way to properly test for rabies is by examining the brain, so the animal has to be euthanized, as it should be if it is actually sick. An animal that is showing these symptoms can present problems, and it is advised to keep a safe distance and call the right people. There are a few different options here, as we do not deal with sick animals

Your local police department
Your local animal control agent
Mass Environmental Police - 800-632-8075
Mass Dept of Public Health(more info on rabies and diseases) - 617-983-6800