Elaine Conners Wildcare is a wildlife rehabilitation center whose mission statement is to "provide professional and compassionate care to injured and orphaned native wildlife in need and to educate the public about our work".
HOURS: We are open from 9am-5pm, every day, including weekends and holidays.
If you are calling AFTER HOURS and have found a bird or animal...
Please use gloves and secure the animal in a well-ventilated box or crate. Do not use bird cages as they are not safe for wildlife. Resist giving the animal food or water as it may do more harm than good. Remove the animal from the stress of pets and people and keep it dark, safe, and quiet overnight and call us in the morning.
WHAT IF YOU FIND AN INJURED OR ORPHANED WILD ANIMAL?
Each year, the lives of many wild animals are upset by people who mean only to help. These people take animals from the wild in a mistaken attempt to help them. In fact, these would-be-rescuers are leaving the parent animals to search in vain for their offspring and are harming the young animals' chances for a successful life, if they live to be released.
Most young wild mammals or birds that are found do not need human assistance and their parents are close by watching over them.
Watch the situation to see if the animal in question is injured or if you see the parents. If you have questions or concerns, please call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area.
Please be advised that space is limited here at Elaine Conners Wildcare, and we primarily focus on helping animals from the Mount Washington Valley area.
If the situation warrants that you collect a baby animal or bird, please read the guidelines below.
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ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING ANY WILD ANIMAL
Many wild animals, including baby wildlife in the spring and summer are needlessly killed and tested for rabies, because people handle them without protection. For your safety and the life of the animal, always wear gloves when handling wildlife.
BABY BIRDS:
** Fledglings are older baby birds often found hopping around the ground. The chances are good that they are not injured and their parents are close by keeping watch over their youngsters as they learn to fly and fend for themselves. Do not pick up a fledgling baby bird unless you can determine that it is injured and needs assistance.
** An unfeathered baby bird found on the ground can often be placed back into the nest. It is a myth that the parent birds will not accept the baby once it is placed back in the nest.
** If you must keep a baby bird overnight, a baby bird needs heat. You can use a heating pad set on low, with a towel between the heating pad and box. If no heating pad is available, use a sock filled with rice and microwaved until warm, NOT hot. Repeat as necessary to keep the animal warm. Do not feed the baby bird. Birds do not eat at night and to feed a baby bird an improper diet can be harmful to its health. Call us in the morning to make arrangements to bring it to us.
BABY MAMMAL:
** If you have found an infant mammal, the baby will need supplemental heat. A heating pad can be used, set on low, and placed on a towel between the heating pad and box. If no heating pad is available, use a sock filled with rice and microwaved until warm, NOT hot. Wrap the baby in a loose piece of fleece or washcloth. Do not feed the baby and call us in the morning to make arrangements to bring it to us. Feeding milk products or formula designed for human babies can be especially dangerous and feeding infants without guidance can lead to the baby aspirating (ingesting liquid into the lungs) and causing pneumonia and death.
A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT DEER FAWNS:
** Fawns are often seen alone. The mother deer leaves them for several hours while she goes off to browse. She also leaves them to protect them as her scent will attract predators. Fawns, with no newborn scent, are safer alone. They can be seen in yards, against foundations, and other places that we humans think odd. This does not mean they are orphaned or abandoned. For more information, please click here. If you are certain the fawn needs rescuing, ex. with a deceased mother, please contact the Wildlife Division of New Hampshire Fish and Game at 271-2461 from 8-4:30. After-hours calls go to the dispatch number at 603-271-3361. Do not call or bring them to ECW as all fawn calls go through the state before being placed for rehabilitation care.
THE FEW ANIMALS THAT WE DO NOT ACCEPT AND WHY:
RVS:
** Rabies Vector Species: The main reason we advocate for wearing gloves when handling wildlife! RVS include fox, woodchucks, skunks, raccoons and bats. They do not necessarily HAVE rabies but have a higher RISK of carrying the disease. Rabies is always 100% fatal. For this reason, we do not accept RVS because we do not have quarantine cages and pre-exposure vaccinations for staff and volunteers would be prohibitive to pay for.
SPECIALIZED CARE:
** Some animals are best with specialists to care for them. These include turtles and several others. Please call us with your questions and we will help you find other rehabbers in NH. You can also go on the NH Fish and Game website and select other rehabbers from their list.
LOONS:
** The Loon Center provides excellent care!
Please call them at 603-476-LOON.
