Q. Why do animals need to be rehabilitated?
A. Animals are brought to us for rehabilitation for three main reasons:

Injuries. Most injuries are caused by animals who have been caught by a dog or cat or hit by a car.

Illness. Animals become ill for a variety of reasons, including parasites and diseases such as West Nile virus, or parvovirus.

Displacement. In nature, animal parents do not leave their young. However, circumstances beyond their control sometimes prevent them from raising their young. Young animals can be displaced, rather than truly orphaned - perhaps a human inadvertently intervened by excluding an adult animal from a house without realizing the adult's young were still trapped inside. Or, perhaps, someone cut down a tree without realizing the tree held a nest of young.

Q. What types of animals do you treat?
A. We treat native New Jersey species. An average of 2,300 birds and mammals are brought to us each year. The most common types of animals include rabbits, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, opossums, bats, all kinds of songbirds and waterfowl, and raptors. We also occasionally see animals such as coyotes, foxes, and shore or wading birds.

Q. What are the facilities like at the Mercer County Wildlife Center?
A. Our new building provides us with hospital space and a new public education area. This new facility allows us to provide complete onsite veterinary care for wild animals, including surgery, radiology, and isolation. The new facility greatly improves our ability to provide emergency care and enables us to quarantine ailing animals more effectively to prevent the spread of disease. We also have a number of outdoor enclosures that house the animals that are being conditioned for release back into the wild. In addition, the new facility will eventually accommodate outdoor public areas where members of the community can learn more about local wildlife, and it will allow us to present education programs for small groups. Raising awareness about local species has always been a core part of the Center's mission. Now we will have the opportunity to share even more information and to help ensure that future generations maintain a strong interest in the natural world around us.

Q. Why can't the public tour the facilities?
A. Any contact with humans is very stressful for a wild animal, including voices and curious eyes peering into enclosures. Part of the new facility will eventually include an outdoor education and display area.

Q. What happens to an animal after I bring it in for treatment?
A. When you bring us an animal for treatment, a staff member logs the animal into our computer system and assigns it a case number. (If you would like to follow the animal's progress, make sure you have the case number handy when you call so we can quickly locate the animal's history.) The animal is then examined to determine the best treatment for it.

Q. Why should I not feed an animal in need or give it water?
A. Each species of wild animal requires a very specialized diet. Feeding an animal, the wrong type of food, or even offering water to an injured animal, can do more harm than good. Distressed animals are using all of their resources to keep their respiratory and circulatory systems functioning.  They cannot afford to waste energy on digestion. If you think you have found an animal in need, call us first.

Q. What should I do if I have found an animal in need?
A. If you find an animal in distress, please call us at (609) 303-0552 and press 2. The animal may not actually need assistance and removing it from its environment may cause more harm. We will help you decide whether the animal needs care and, if necessary, will ask you to bring it to the Center. 

Q. I have a problem with a wild animal in or near my home. How can I remove it?
A. If a wild animal has taken up residence in or near your home or is otherwise unwelcome in your yard or garden, visit our Coexisting with Wildlife brochure for tips on encouraging the animal to move on. Also be sure to visit the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife website to view information about relocating wildlife in the state of New Jersey. 

Q. I do not live in Mercer County. Are there wildlife rehabilitators closer to my area?
A. We accept patients from all counties in New Jersey, as long as you are able to transport the animal to us. If we are farther than you are able to drive, we would be happy to help you locate a wildlife rehabilitator closer to you. Please visit the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife or New Jersey Wildlife Rehabilitators Association for further information.