Wildlife Clinic
Found an animal?

Your answer

Stop the struggle first. Cutting is usually the whole job.

Netting, fencing, and sports goals cause most of these. An animal that has been fighting the material has already done the damage that matters — swelling, constricted circulation, exhaustion. Freeing it is often simple; deciding whether it still needs a clinic afterwards is the harder part.

What to do right now

  1. 01Throw a towel or blanket over the animal to calm it and protect your hands.
  2. 02Cut the material away in small pieces rather than pulling it free.
  3. 03Leave anything embedded in skin in place and let a rehabilitator remove it.
  4. 04Even if it looks fine, have it assessed if it was constricted for more than a few minutes.
  5. 05Take the netting down or raise it. It will happen again.

What not to do

  • Do not pull a limb, wing, or head back through the mesh.
  • Do not use scissors near a struggling animal — a seam ripper or bandage scissors are safer.
  • Do not release an animal with a swollen, cold, or discoloured limb.

Change your mind if any of this is true

Any one of these changes the answer above. Call a rehabilitator instead.

  • The limb is cold, pale, or swollen — circulation loss needs treatment.
  • There is netting or line under the skin.
  • It is a bat, raccoon, fox, or skunk. Do not handle it; call instead.

Get professional help

Showing rehabilitators permitted for small mammals.

Filtered by what you found

This list is not complete. Some licensed rehabilitators choose not to publish their details, and the state list is updated quarterly. Always call ahead: a rehabilitator may be full even when listed.

All 43 rehabilitators permitted for this animal.

Choosing a county puts the nearest first. It never hides anyone — someone further away may still be the one who can take it.

Understand the animal

Knowing why this happens is what makes the next one easier to read.