Wildlife Rescue Training
Basic Emergency Care & Procedure for Injured and Orphaned Wildlife Regional locations to be announced. Next class is on Saturday, May 19.
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Georgia's newest endangered species:  Wildlife Rehabilitators          Get Help for an injured animal!

These animals require urgent specialized care so a rehabber can't wait for weeks, days or even a few hours while the animals get accustomed to being handled. As a result, Wildlife rehabilitators get scratched, bitten, urinated on, or worse daily. The days are long for rehabbers, averaging 14 to 18 hours. Some are longer. There are cages to clean, bandages to change, trips to the veterinarian and mouths to feed. Young animals may require being fed every two to four hours.

One rehabilitator explained, "...then when you are finally finished and you're totally exhausted, you realize that you're already behind again and you start all over". They also frequently have to check on injured animals during the night, which means that they may start the following day already fatigued. The worst part is that despite all of their extraordinary efforts, many of these animals will not survive. Even so, wildlife rehabilitators keep going, resulting in thousands of successful rescues and releases each year.

But what happens to these animals when the wildlife rehabilitators themselves are in trouble? Consider that most rehabbers operate using their own financial resources combined with limited contributions from a few local supporters. Not a good situation even during the best of times, and with the ongoing economic crisis, many of Georgia's most experienced wildlife rehabilitators are finding it even more difficult in continuing with their life-saving efforts.

Wildlife rehabilitators, or rehabbers as they are known in the animal community, are very special people. They have acquired the knowledge and experience that is needed to work with injured and orphaned wildlife. Licensed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and if caring for federally protected species, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, a wildlife rehabilitator’s ultimate goal is to take an injured or orphaned animal, get it healthy and return it to its natural habitat. 

Most people have huge misconceptions about what wildlife rehabilitators actually do. They envision them spending their days frolicking on the grass with friendly playful critters while a melody of Walt Disney songs floats down from somewhere in the clouds. The reality is that injured or orphaned animals are obviously afraid and traumatized.




Luckily for the animals, rehabbers are dedicated and resourceful and they will take extraordinary measures to ensure that they can continue with their life-saving work. They will solicit for financial or in-kind contributions. They will make deals with grocers and pet store managers for donations or discounted prices on damaged bags of pet food. They can often be found in the alley behind these stores after hours as they make their pick-up rounds explaining, “Honestly Officer, I’m not a burglar or drug dealer. I’m a wildlife rescuer and I’m just picking up food for the animals.” They’ve learned to never refer to themselves as “rehabbers” when talking to a cop in an alley late at night. 

Some wildlife rehabilitators do have support networks, but most do not and the situation for the vast majority of rehabbers is critical. Many have indicated they will not be able to continue without in-kind contributions or some financial support.

What can you do to help? Start by supporting the wildlife rehabilitators that serve your area or particular region. CONTACT US for more information or DONATE HERE.  Please help us continue our efforts to protect and save Georgia’s native wildlife.