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Adult at roadside or in snare
Check carefully to see if it is still breathing (you should see the belly area rising and falling).
If so, contact a rescue centre immediately and keep watch from a short distance. 
It would help if you could contain it if possible, but do not put yourself in danger of a bite, or try to pick up an adult or large cub without equipment.
Stay with the badger and watch where it goes in case it moves away.

Unless very small, even cubs will bite if they feel threatened.
Wrap it up in a small blanket or old towel and put it into a strong cat carrier.
Be very careful to keep your hands away from the jaws.
If found in your garden in dry weather, put a heavy bowl of water near the animal; it may be dehydrated.

To find a rescuer go to:       Rescue Centres
For First Aid info go to:       Help for Badgers

Further information :    
Badger Contacts
Badger Baiting or disturbance
Feeding Mammals

Only licensed experts are allowed to move bat colonies or keep bats in captivity.  Wildlife carers are allowed to keep bats only
while providing treatment and with the aim of eventually returning them to the wild.

In an emergency,  a bat can be transported in a small cloth bag such as those used for coins by banks
make sure the bat is at the bottom and close the neck of the bag with a bulldog clip or elastic band
For your nearest Rescue Centre go to:   Rescue Centres
Rehydration and Feeding information can be found in: Feeding bats

FOUND ON THE GROUND
Pick up gently, using a handkerchief or thin gloves to avoid direct contact.
Feel the body gently, is it cold? Is it breathing? Can you see the belly rising and falling?
Warm up in your hand until you can put in a secure container and take to a wildlife centre or the nearest Bat Hospital

CAUGHT BY A CAT
Pick up gently, using a handkerchief if necessary.
Feel the body gently, is it cold? Is it breathing? Can you feel a heartbeat against your hand?
Warm up in your hand, place in a secure container and take to a wildlife centre or the nearest Bat Hospital for treatment.

INSIDE A HOUSE - hanging on curtains
If  found in warm weather, it may have flown in very recently through an open window.
Close the door and open the windows wide just before dusk and see if it becomes active and flies away.
If not, gently detach from the curtains and check for signs of life.
Place in a secure container and take to a rescue centre for examination.

INSIDE A HOUSE - Flying about at night
Open the windows wide and keep still, it will find its way outside.
Turn the overhead light off in case it attracts moths; they will distract the bat from leaving.

INSIDE A HOUSE - Flying about in daylight
It may have flown in the night before and been trapped. 
Let it settle somewhere and either leave it alone until almost dusk, then open the windows wide so it can go; or let it settle,
then pick it up gently,  take outside and hang up as high as you can reach on a sheltered piece of rough wall or an ivy covered tree in the garden.

HANGING FROM A TREE
It will probably have become caught by a discarded fishing hook and line.
Use a long handled net to support the body from below while someone cuts the line and removes it from the tree.
Take to a rescue centre or Bat Hospital for examination.

BEHIND TILES / FASCIA BOARD
Can they be left where they are or has the roost been damaged or disrupted?

Contact your nearest Bat Group for advice.
If the bats are all adults, it may be possible for an expert to move them a few yards away to a suitable tree or sheltered part of the roof and
let them find another roost after dark.  A Maternity roost can't be disturbed until all the youngsters have flown off with the mothers to the winter roost.
If there are large ivy covered trees nearby they would provide a temporary roost for some species.
Can you fix a Bat Box  (or two) to a tree, at the same height and facing in the same direction as the part of the house where they were found?
They might accept a substitute home when they return.  Just think of all the benefits of a bat roost - they eat thousands of mosquitos a night!

Further information can be found at:  Bat Contacts

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To find the nearest Rescue Centre go to:  Rescue Centres

Ring a Rescue Centre or the local Rangers and ask for help
Is it lying down?  Can someone stay with it to show a rescuer where it is,  if away from a road?
Deer are usually rescued by experienced people but can only be helped if they are trapped in a fence or lying down.
A mobile deer, even on 3 legs, can still run faster and further than a would-be rescuer.

Cover the head with a cloth or even a carrier bag, and keep it quiet.
Keep away from the hooves and horns and phone the police or RSPCA for help.

If it is mobile,  it may not be possible to catch it. 
Contact the local Rangers through your Town Hall or National Trust Wardens if it is on their land.
A group of people may be able to corner it and take it for treatment

Steel or wooden palings
A car jack should ease them apart enough to free the deer.
Check the animal's condition. If there are no serious cuts it is best to let it go straight away.
Wrought iron
This cannot be eased open so the rescue ideally  needs three people .
One person should hold the deer's shoulders steady and prevent it moving forward;  another person needs
     to stand behind and get a firm grip on the body.
Ideally, the animal's head should be covered with a pillowcase or dark cloth to reduce stress.
The pelvis is too wide to allow the deer through so the animal must be eased backwards.
Two flat pieces of thick card or plastic about the size of table tennis bats will help.
Place one against each side of the deer and use to slightly compress the body and ease it through the bars without scraping the skin.
At the same time the animal should be pushed gently backwards from the shoulders and pulled from behind.
This may have to be done in two or three stages until the shoulders are free.

See also: First Aid for Mammals

It will have been left by its mother while she moves away to feed and should not be disturbed or picked up
     unless in imminent danger from dogs or machinery.
Have a good look, without touching the fawn, to make sure there are no injuries.
Check for flies - these are attracted to wounds.
Observe from a distance, preferably by using binoculars, to see if the mother returns.  
Fawns are often left alone for several hours at a time so check it again later.  
If  not sure if all is well, call a rescue centre to see if someone experienced can go and have a look.

May have lost its mother or have been abandoned because sick.  
Needs to be rescued for assessment and treatment.  
Can you take it to a Rescue Centre?
It should be wrapped up warmly with the legs tucked underneath and held by someone during the journey.                                                                                  

Injured or cold and ill
May have lost its mother to dogs or have been abandoned because sick. 
Needs to be taken in for assessment and treatment.

Nearest advice and Rescuers: Rescue Centres

See also:
First Aid for Mammals          Feeding Fawns

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Often dormice barely notice any disturbance when hibernating.
If uninjured, do not allow to become warm.
Get a sturdy wooden bird nesting box and put a layer of dried moss or leaves inside
Ideally the original nest should be reconstructed inside the bird box, otherwise use moss instead.
Place the dormouse in the centre of the nest and cover lightly with nest materials.
Using wire, secure the nest box to a tree as close to the original nest as possible, with the entrance hole facing the bark.
Check that there is a gap of about 1½ inches between the tree and the nest box entrance to allow room for the mouse to get out!

Dormice are tree living animals so are rarely caught by cats. It may have been ill already or been taken from its nest.
Put into a securely lidded, ventilated box lined with kitchen paper and take to a rescue centre.

See also:        Rescue Centres
Hazel Dormouse

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Curled up in garden or on a shed
Foxes are not purely nocturnal and like to curl up for a nap in the sun.  Very often, they wake up and move away if disturbed.
Can you get close enough to touch the fox gently with the end of a broom or garden cane?
If it does not move, or moves with difficulty there is a problem.

 Try and see what  is wrong
Is there blood?  Can you see it breathing?  Is it trying to get up and failing?
Any information will be of help to a rescuer.

Collapsed foxes can be picked up by the scruff of the neck, like cats, or caught in a grasper.
A large angler's landing net is useful for pinning the animal down if it tries to get away. 
Care needs to be taken to avoid their teeth, even when very ill and weak. 
If you are experienced with dogs & cats, pick it up by the scruff and take to a Rescue Centre or vet in a sturdy cat carrier.

Adults and cubs often get caught in garden netting.
It may have been in there for hours, struggling to escape and be very distressed by the time it is found.
Call the RSPCA or your local rescue centre.
They will need to cut the animal free and check for dislocations and other injuries.
If the cub is quite small the den will be nearby so if physically unharmed an immediate release is possible.

They can often manage very well on 3 legs but if the injury is recent or to a front leg, try giving it some treatment.
Set up a feeding pattern and give 1 tablet each of homoeopathic Hypericum 30, Ruta grav 30, Arnica 30 daily for 7 days
Crush the tablets together between 2 spoons and sprinkle on food.
A bit of supplementary feeding will also will help it survive while the injury heals

This is bad news; the leg or foot is broken and can be damaged by contact with rough ground.
Contact a rescue centre and put out food toget the fox used to feeding in your garden. Ideally, put out food in a flat area where
a trap can be set up once the fox is familiar with the feeding routine.  Alternately, if you have an uncluttered secure shed,
put the food nearby and move the dish closer to the shed each day until the fox eats inside and you have a chance of catching it.
Put Hypericum 30 and Symphytum 30 into each meal for about 7 days.
After this, if a trapping is not available, give Hypericum 30 and Hepar Sulph 6 for a week to 10 days.
These remedies will help the pain and promote healing, in case the fox cannot be trapped.
Often when old foxes are brought into rescue centres they are found to have old, healed bone injuries.
Wild animals have the capacity to deal with pain and injuries so if an injured animal is not trapped and treated,
it does not necessarily mean that it will die.
Putting out a small amount of food daily for 3 weeks or so will help it get through the trauma.

Set up a feeding pattern and see if it becomes a regular visitor.
Try and get a good look at the injury so you can let the nearest Rescue Centre know what is wrong.
If it has an open wound, put homoeopathic Hypericum 6 and Hepar sulph 6 in the food daily for 7 - 14 days.
These will combat pain and infection as well as cleaning out any pus that may be forming.

Between May and September it is probably a cub or two exploring and practising finding food. 
If expensive plants are being damaged try pepper dust, cayenne or something similar to deter them from that spot.  
If just a particular area is affected, try embedding some chicken wire under the soil or grass to put them off digging.

Sometimes people want to remove or deter foxes from their gardens but relocating healthy foxes is almost impossible. 
The best tactic is to deter the foxes from your garden by using products such as Citronella oil diluted with water and
      sprayed around their favourite areas.
Other methods are to sprinkle Reynardine or Pepper Dust around, or to use a hidden portable radio playing a talk station. 
A scarecrow is also worth a try, since people are the main enemy of most wildlife. 
There are very few places for wild mammals to live these days and a fox is not necessarily such a bad neighbour;
    it would certainly keep away rats!

See also:  
Homoeopathic treatment
Fox Rescue & Welfare Groups
Rescue Centres
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DON’T touch!  This is most probably a fox cub and may have been temporarily left there by the vixen.
Foxes often move their cubs to a new den and carry them in stages, leaving them in quiet gardens while they fetch the other cubs.
Observe it from the house;  the vixen might have been disturbed while moving her cubs and may be waiting to collect this one. 
Keep your distance unless the cub is obviously injured or ill, in which case you need to keep it warm and take to a rescue centre.
Stay out of sight of the vixen, she will not come back if she can detect you.
Weather changes
If the cub is not distressed but the weather is cold or wet, provide a cardboard box lined with newspaper for shelter.
Is it cold?
Wrap a hot water bottle or small plastic drink bottle filled with hot water in an old towel, put it in the box and place the cub on top and warm it up.
Get it to a rescue centre as soon as possible.
Do not handle the cub except with gloves or a cloth, to avoid leaving human scents on it.
Wait for the vixen to return.
If the vixen has not taken the cub away during the night, it will have to be taken to a rescue centre for rearing.

It may have wandered in from a nearby den.
Observe from a distance until after dusk, when the vixen should come and get it.
Stay well away, out of sight; the vixen won't come if she can see or smell you.
If she hasn't taken the cub away and it is getting distressed, contact a Rescue Centre

It may have been abandoned because it is ill.  If it is warm and dry, observe until dusk in case the parent returns. 
If cold and/or wet, provide some shelter, for example a box on its side with some bedding.
Wrap a hot water bottle or small plastic drink bottle filled with hot water in an old towel and put it next to the cub.
If you are unsure, ask a rescue centre for advice or to send someone experienced to have a look.

New-born fox cubs are small, covered with short, dark fur and can sometimes be mistaken for puppies or kittens. 
If you find a small family tucked away in your garden, leave them alone but keep watch if possible, to see if the mother returns. 
Usually she will only leave them for 15 minutes or so but will stay away if people are too close to her den.

Most vixens rear cubs with help from family members (a Dog fox or an "Aunt" from the previous litter) so if she has an accident,
     they will need some help.
Rather than to try to capture all the cubs and take them to a rescue centre, if they have their eyes open and are getting their adult coat,
     it is better to provide food for them at the den and keep them in a wild state.
Suitable foods are chopped up raw chicken wings, mince, tinned cat food and meat scraps.
As they develop, larger bones and chopped up raw chicken carcasses will be welcomed, as will peanuts and assorted left-over food.
A pinch or two of pet vitamin supplement on the meals would help their development.

This tends to start at the rear end, commonly affecting the tail first and spreading over the hips and back. 
The fur becomes thin and bare patches of skin can be seen on the hips and back.
If left untreated, the fox may develop sores and abscesses on the unprotected skin, leading to infection, septicaemia and death.

Can you gently touch it with the end of a broomstick? 
If it runs off, no-one else will be able to catch it either so give it a homeopathic mange remedy in food.
Failing that, ask if a neighbour is feeding it and ask them if they will give it medicine.
See below and the  Homoeopathic Remedies page
If it doesn't move, or only crawls a short way, cover it with a bin or laundry basket weighted down with a brick to stop it escaping.

Mild mange
This can be treated with a homeopathic remedy
As a preventative or in early cases of mange use homeopathic Sulphur 6 from chemists and health food shops
1 tablet a day per fox for 3 weeks, then twice a week for 3 weeks. 
If the fox visits regularly it can be treated quite easily with a combined remedy of Sulphur 30 and Arsen alb 30 from Helios.
2 drops daily on a small amount of food will clear up early mange when given consistently for 3 weeks. 
You can buy the remedies in tablet form from a health food shop; crush up 1 of each between 2 teaspoons and sprinkle on food.

More advanced mange (up to 50% hair loss)
Treat with Psorinum 200 liquid; give 2 drops daily on food for 3 - 4 weeks.
As foxes rarely visit alone and often share food with their mates and their cubs, it is wiser to give 4-5 drops in food.
2 drops will treat 1 fox, but often you will have to guess at how many may be visiting your garden. 
Not all of them will have mange, but the treatment will not harm them.

Severe mange (50% or more hair loss)
The homeopathic remedy for severe mange is Psorinum 1M. 
The dose is 1 tablet per fox every 2-3 days for 5 doses, then 1 tablet a week for 3 more weeks.
If the fox is not alone, a liquid remedy, Psorinum 200, is recommended.  
2 drops (per fox) per day is given in food for 3 weeks then every other day for 2-3 weeks.
This is boosted by giving a dose of Psorinum 1M tablets once a week for 4 doses.

Helios Homoeopathy have a postal service. Ring 01892 536393 to set up an order.

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This is usually a bad sign but occasionally, a healthy hedgehog has to move to another nest site in daytime if it is disturbed.
Observe the animal.
If it is gathering grass or leaves and does not seem ill or distressed, only busy, keep an eye on it and check it eventually goes into hiding
.
Lying still
Put it in a box with some straw or shredded newspaper and take it to a rescue centre straight away.

Put it in a box with some straw or shredded newspaper and take it to a rescue centre straight away.

Adults and youngsters often get caught in garden netting.
It may have been in there for hours, struggling to escape and be very distressed by the time it is found.
Call the RSPCA or your local rescue centre.
They will need to cut the animal free and check for dislocations and other injuries.
 
Limping / dragging a leg
Broken rear legs are very common strimmer accidents and they often become badly infected, leading to septicaemia and death. 
Put it in a box with some straw or shredded newspaper and take it to a rescue centre straight away.

Nest disturbed
This is a frequent occurrence in spring/early summer.
Is the mother still around? 
When a nest is disturbed, the mother often runs away at first but hides nearby in the hope of returning to her family.
Can you leave the family in place if the mother returns? 
If yes, you will need to keep a careful watch to make sure she returns and carries on looking after the youngsters.

Is the nest site destroyed? 
If it is, the babies will have to be raised at a rescue Centre.
Their survival is more likely if they can be reunited with their mother, even if it takes a day or so to find her.
Do not handle the babies with bare hands.
Wear gloves or pick them up with soft tissue or cloth and  keep them warm while you search for the mother. 
If the young start getting cold, they can be put in a box on top of a hot water bottle wrapped in an old towel until the mother returns. 
Always try and find the mother, she can rear the youngsters much better than anyone else.

No local rescue centre?
If you have a large unused rabbit hutch or empty shed and have caught the mother, you can provide a shelter for her to raise the family.

Hedgehogs in a hutch:
fill the bedroom area with dry straw and/or dry leaves and put the mother and babies inside.
Remember to wear gardening gloves or similar when handling the babies.
Place a heavy saucer with about a third of a tin of meaty catfood in the open compartment, plus a heavy ceramic bowl of drinking water.
If possible, provide a few pieces of chopped up raw chicken (wing or leg, including skin) as well.
If all the food is eaten, put out slightly more next time until you find the right balance. 
You should provide slightly too much food so the hedgehogs do not go hungry.
As the babies grow, they will start eating solid so use a flat dish to let them reach the food easily.
Partly cover the open section with heavy sacking or tarpaulin and stay away until the following day.
Only open the compartment to change the food and water daily.
If the hutch is on short legs, after 2 -3 weeks, move it into the area where the nest was found.
Securely prop the door open about 6 inches so the mother can get out and look for wild food.
She may choose to stay in the hutch or may re-build the nest and move her family back into the garden.

Hedgehogs in a shed
Put the babies and adult in a large cardboard box full of straw and make an exit hole in the side.
Provide a saucer of meaty cat food as above and a heavy bowl of water.
Also if there is space, provide a spare cardboard box filled with dry straw and leaves, with an entrance hole cut in the side.
The mother hedgehog will transfer the babies to this when the first nest becomes a bit grubby.
f possible, provide a few pieces of chopped up raw chicken (wing or leg, including skin) as well.
If all the food is eaten, put out slightly more next time until you find the right balance. 
You should provide slightly too much food so the hedgehogs do not go hungry.
As the babies grow, they will start eating solid so use a flat dish to let them reach the food easily.
Keep track of the date and do not attempt to look at the babies until at least 2 weeks have passed.
Ideally, you should wait until you see the youngsters visiting the food dish before trying to check on the family.

Mother dead
Keep the babies warm in a box with a hot water bottle wrapped in an old towel.
Take them to a Rescue Centre as soon as possible.

Young, alone, out in daylight  
What colour are the spines?  Are the eyes open or closed?  Is it active?  Is it making a piping noise a bit like a bird? 
Hedgehogs develop white spines shortly after birth and the darker ones grow amongst them over a period of weeks.
If the spines are white, or mainly white, it is not weaned and far too small to be away from its mother.
Pick it up with gloves or soft paper and place in a warm little box with shredded kitchen roll or an old towel. 
If there is no sign of a nest it will have to go to a Rescue Centre for rearing.

Young, piping loudly  
Try and locate the baby hog/s.  Are they in a nest?  Can you hear or see the mother nearby? 
Do not immediately remove them. 
If it is dark, wait until daylight in case the mother returns.
If she does not turn up, keep the youngsters warm and take to a rescue centre.

To find local help go to: Rescue Centres

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Find a small, tightly lidded box with ventilation holes and line with newspaper.
Add some torn up strips of kitchen roll or soft tissue for the mouse to hide under.
A cardboard roll from the centre of a toilet roll with strips of soft tissue pushed inside is always popular!
Provide a little food (small seeds, bread, piece of apple, muesli) and a tiny plastic bottle lid of water.
Leave in a quiet, dark, warm place for about an hour to recover from shock.
Were there obvious injuries? If so, take to a rescue centre for a check up.
If no injuries are seen and the mouse is getting livelier, leave in the box for another few hours or overnight and check again.
If unharmed and moving well, it can be released under a dense hedge or in a woodpile
Leave a small handful of seeds to give it time to find a new home.

If the babies are very tiny, try reconstructing the nest and give the mother a chance to return to them.
Their eyes open at about 12 days so they will soon be independent and you can move the old nest out then.
If the mother doesn't come back after about an hour, put some hot water in a screw capped plastic bottle,
wrap it in an old sock or piece of towel and place next to the nest to keep the babies warm.
If she still hasn't returned to feed them after 3 hours, they will have to be taken to a rescue centre.

For help go to:
Rescue Centres
Helping Orphans

May have puncture wounds or internal injuries.
Handle with care, they have sharp little teeth.
Place in a sturdy box lined with a towel and take to a rescue centre.

If inert, it may have been poisoned.
Beware of the teeth, put into a secure box lined with a small towel and take to a rescue centre.
If moving rapidly, it is either a male in search of a mate or a juvenile looking for a new territory.
Moles can move very quickly above ground but are only rarely seen.
Keep watch from a distance. It should disappear into a mole hill or start digging a new tunnel before too long.
If it seems disorientated and is in danger from machinery or predators, pick up with thick gloves, put into a sturdy
pet carrier and take to a rescue centre for a check-up.

Rescue Centres

Is the mother is still around?  Has the nest been destroyed?
Why is it out of the nest? Are trees being cut down nearby?
Very young squirrels are never seen unless their nest has been destroyed.
Often in early spring, gardeners think they are pulling down an empty magpie nest and find 2 to 5 young squirrels in a cosy, carefully built drey.
Gather up the babies and the warm, inner remains of the nest, put them in a box or bucket near the tree and let the mother squirrel have a chance to rescue them.
She will have run away in terror when the nest was damaged but will be somewhere nearby, waiting for the chance to rescue the babies.
Give her time by stopping the work and moving away for a while.
Squirrels are devoted parents and usually will locate the youngsters within about an hour and move them to another nest site.
If for some reason the mother does not come back within 2-3 hours, the babies will need to be warmed (see below) and taken to a rescue centre for rearing.
Don’t leave them outside for longer than 3 hours, as babies lose heat quickly and will need feeding.

If you find a very small baby squirrel on the ground, treat it gently as it may have fallen from a tree.
Is it warm? 
Put it in a small box or container lined with warm material (shredded paper, kitchen roll etc.) and take it to a wildlife centre for a check- up.
It may have lost its mother and be dehydrated or injured. 
Is it cold?
Wrap a hot water bottle or small plastic drink bottle filled with hot water in an old towel, put it in a box and place the baby squirrel on top and warm it up.
Get it to a rescue centre as soon as possible.

This is an almost weaned baby who is out of the home territory and wants a mother substitute.
Have a look around; if there are other young squirrels nearby it may rejoin them if you take it to them.
If you can't find the family but could look after it in a hutch or cage for a few days it should then be able to survive alone.
Provide a nest area full of straw and feed with wild bird mix, sunflower seeds, chopped apple, mixed nuts, grapes, fresh sweet corn and drinking water in a heavy bowl.
If you can’t provide short term help, take it to a rescue centre.

It needs to be eased into a box or carrier but extreme caution is advised, as frightened squirrels will inflict a painful bite.
Cover with an old towel, tuck the ends under the animal and gently ease into a carrier by using something like a dustpan or shovel. 
Keep fingers out of range of the teeth and do not attempt to pick it up in a bare hand. 
Make sure that the carrier is secure - having a miraculously revived squirrel running about in the car is not the most enjoyable experience.

Squirrels can go into a catatonic state after a shock or being chased.
If it is away from danger from cats or dogs, it is best to leave it alone to recover gradually.
If it is in a vulnerable position, cover with a thick towel and ease into a box with a broom or dustpan.
Leave in a shed or garage where it can easily escape when it recovers.
Sometimes just touching it will break the trance and the squirrel will run off.

Rescue Centres
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