Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter
What should I do if I've found an injured animal?
You will find contact information and driving directions to our facility on the "Contact Us"
page of this site. Please remember that the animal may be in shock and keep it in a warm,
quiet place until you can transport it. When you bring an animal to our shelter, our
professional staff will give it a thorough examination and provide any treatment and care
it might need. We will do our best to return it to its natural habitat in the wild. Keeping a wild animal in captivity, even for a short time while it is recovering from injuries or growing up, requires special permits. OWLS hold both State and Federal Wildlife Rehabilitation permits. These, along with many years of training and experience, allow the staff and volunteers to care for injured, sick and orphaned wildlife. Remember that "just caring" isn't enough!
What happens to the animal I've rescued?
Our professional staff and trained volunteers will give the animal an examination to determine if any emergency treatment is required. If so, this will be performed immediately. The animal will then be allowed to stabilize and recover from the stress of being captured and transported to the shelter.Once stable, the animal will receive a complete physical examination, and the appropriate treatment will be prescribed. Sometimes this is medication, sometimes bandaging, sometimes surgery; often it is simply providing rest and proper nutrition so that the animal can regain its strength. Often, more extensive diagnostic work must be performed before the proper treatment can be determined. Such tests can include bloodwork, X-rays, urine and fecal tests, or even biopsies.
If your animal requires surgery, we will often wait a few days in order to allow the animal to gain the strength needed for an operation.
Occasionally, shelter personnel are not able to determine the cause of the animal's illness, or they may be uncertain as to the best treatment or the best diet for an unusual animal. This is where the networking comes in. As a member of the National Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association, OWLS is constantly in touch with other rehabilitation organizations around the country, sharing information on wildlife.
Many animals only stay at the shelter about a week before they are able to return to the wild. Others, like orphaned hawks, may have to stay as long as four months -- until they are able to survive on their own. Some injuries may require up to a year of care! During this time, they are housed in appropriate cages which meet the national recommended standards for wildlife, and are fed special diets which provide them with the proper nutrients they need to grow or regain their strength. Diets, which range from seeds and berries to mice and fish (and just about everything in between!) are provided largely by volunteers, local fishermen, and people like you.
A single great horned owl baby may need up to ten mice a day! And an adult pelican needs about four pounds of fish a day! The grocery list can build up rapidly, so the shelter is extremely grateful for these food donations.
Once the animal has grown up or recovered from its injuries or illness, it is placed in a large outdoor enclosure in which it can become acclimated to the weather. This period also provides it with the opportunity to exercise. Animals must be in top physical condition before release, so they can run or fly and hunt for food.
When the time finally arrives for the animal to be returned to the wild, a suitable habitat is chosen and the animal is transported there by one of the shelter volunteers. Sometimes, arrangements may be made with the donor to accompany the volunteer to see the release of the animal they rescued.