What to do if you find an injured baby bird or animal

Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge sees about 6,300 birds and animals each year, rehabilitating and, when possible, releasing injured or abandoned ones back into the wild.

Woodford Cedar Run and its babies:South Jersey refuge hosts a shower for fuzzy, furry babies

Many of those animals are brought into their animal hospital, which accepts injured animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Medford refuge estimates it costs about $44 to house a baby rabbit for an average stay of 4 weeks; about $50 for a duck or goose to say for an average of 8 weeks and $318 for a raccoon's average 12-week hospital stay.

But sometimes, an injured or abandoned baby bird or animal should be left alone, wildlife rehabilitators say.

More:South Jersey refuge hosts a shower for fuzzy, furry babies

Here's a rundown of their advice:

If you find a baby bird:

• First, do not attempt to feed it.

• If the bird appears to be sick, injured, unable to move, weak, shivering or bleeding, call your local wildlife refuge (inks below). If it's a nestling (few or no feathers, eyes may be closed), or fledgling (fully or mostly feathered, eyes open, will hop on the ground), place the bird back in its original nest or in a low tree branch nearby and observe for two hours to see if its mother returns. Nestlings can also be placed in a decorative basket hung from a branch near where they're found; sometimes birds will make a new nest in the basket.

• If no mother returns, call the refuge.

• If the mother returns, "leave the area," Woodford advises. "Everything is OK."

• Raptor fledglings, including owls, eagles, hawks and vultures, can claw or flap their way back into the tree; you can watch to see if their parents are feeding them. Vultures nest in the ground on old structures, so it's normal to find baby vultures on the ground.

• If a bird flies into a window, leave it alone and observe it for two hours. If it does not fly away within that time, call a wildlife refuge.

If you find a baby mammal:

• Again, do not attempt to feed it.

• If the baby is hurt, sick, bleeding, shivering or vomiting or has been attacked by a dog or cat, call a wildlife refuge. If you can find an intact nest or den, place the baby there and watch for the mother to return. Stay completely out sight, as mothers will not return if people or pets are present. If no mother returns, call a wildlife refuge. If the mother does return, says Woodford Cedar Run, leave the area.

• For deer and/or fawns, leave the animal if it's curled up and quiet; it's not unusual for mothers to leave their offspring in the same location and return for feedings. If it is crying, wounded or in distress, call a wildlife refuge. Woodford Cedar Run can only accept spotted fawns; for adult deer or yearlings, call your local animal control or law enforcement.

• Mother rabbits leave their dens all day and night to forage, returning at dusk and dawn to feed their offspring. If the rabbit is at least as big as a tennis ball and has its eyes open and ears up, it is an adult and can be left alone. If there are baby rabbits that seem to be abandoned, place string or yarn near the nest; if the pieces are moved in the morning, the mother has returned. A baby rabbit can be relocated within 10 feet of its original den.

• If you find an opossum, call a wildlife refuge to see if it is old enough to be on its own. If the mother is dead, do not remove infants. Instead, bring the mother with the babies intact in the pouch to a refuge.

• Raccoons should be left alone for 5-6 hours before intervening. The mother may be in the process of moving her den to a new location.

• Infant squirrels can be placed inside a hanging basket on the branch of a tree near where they're found. Watch for 2 hours to see if the mother returns. If it does not, call a wildlife refuge.

• If you find an animal in your shed, garage, attic or under a deck or porch:

• Remove alternative food sources such as bird feeders and trash cans;

• Feed domestic pets indoors;

• Place a radio playing loud music for two days and nights;

• Keep the area well-lit for 24 hours;

• Place rags soaked in ammonia or vinegar near any known nesting areas; and

• Restrict access to buildings, decks and chimneys by closing all but one opening and wait for the animal(s) to vacate the area before securing the last opening.

Remember: It's illegal in New Jersey to posses a native wild animal in captivity. By keeping a wild animal in captivity, you also greatly diminish its chances for survival. Wild animals can also carry diseases and parasites; they can bite or scratch out of fear or pain and require specialized foods, shelter and care.

For more information, visit Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge's website, www.cedarrun.org/ or call 856-983-3329. For a list of other New Jersey rescues, visit New Jersey Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators at https://njawr.com/ , or New Jersey Fish and Wildlife for a list of rehabilitators by county at https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has covered Camden and surrounding areas since 2015, concentrating on issues relating to quality of life and social justice for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. She's called South Jersey home since 1971. Contact her with feedback, news tips or questions at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: NJ wildlife rehabilitation and rescue: Here's what to do