Hi everybody. I'm going to mention this here because I think the wildlife forum is full of smart people who love wildlife and thus won't take this the wrong way!

Rescuing orphaned or injured wildlife and rehabilitating it or raising it ourselves -- I've done it in the past, and you probably have too. But most of us don't know that it's illegal in most US states.

I found this out recently when I started apprenticing with a group of licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Since then, I've noticed that every time I tell someone that I'm learning to rehab wildlife, they tell me a story of a critter that they found and raised.

Sadly, many of these stories include improper feeding, care, or release techniques and have tragic or doubtful endings. So that's why I'm bringing this up here. If we were all raising the critters successfully, I wouldn't have a problem with its being illegal!

So next time you find an injured or orphaned critter, or you hear that your friend or neighbor has found one, please do whatever it takes to find a licensed rehabilitator. And if it breaks your heart to give the critter up, consider becoming a wildlife rehabilitator yourself! We sure need more of them!