Into Wildlife Rehabilitation: First Responders

If you found an injured wild animal, what would you do? There are many myths and misinformation about how to rescue animals, and doing the wrong thing can add stress or make the situation worse. The best thing to do is to contact a professional wildlife rehabilitator.

In this episode, Into the Outdoors Adventure Team members, Zach and Sophie come across an injured young bird. Professional rehabilitators from Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital in Lake Geneva, WI, help them sort through the “dos and don’ts” of wildlife rescue: when to leave it alone, how to contain it, keep it warm and seek additional care.

Students will also learn about career and volunteer pathways in wildlife rehabilitation through interviews with Fellow Mortals staff. Wildlife rehabilitators offer medical care to animals, like veterinarians do, but they see hundreds of different species! They care for the animals 24-7, which might include hand-feeding and regular cleaning, until the animals are ready to be released back into the wild.

Zach and Sophie celebrate how compassion prompted them to act as “Wildlife First Responders” and seek care, which ultimately saves the bird’s life. They share additional information on how we all can help prevent injuries or orphaning of wild animals.

    Full Video

    Classroom Videos

    Wildlife Rehabilitation: A Calling of the Heart

    Protecting Wildlife: You Can Help

    Classroom Assets

    Wildlife Rehabilitation: A Calling of the Heart

    Protecting Wildlife: You Can Help

    RElated Content

    Into Bowfishing: From Water to Table

    On this Into the Outdoors episode, we catch our dinner! Bowfishing combines hunting and fishing. Our sights are set on invasive species in the Potomac River near the...

    Into Recycling: Scrap Tires

    What happens when a tire is no longer usable? Where does it go? Join Into the Outdoors Adventure Team as we investigate sustainable solutions for scrap tires. Every...

    Wetlands Wisdom

    Do you want to wade into the murky science of understanding our wetland ecosystems? Discover the answers by watching all parts of this science show and reading the...

    Into Family Fishing in Your National Forests

    In this Into the Outdoors episode, witness the wonders you could experience while exploring our public lands as you watch four family fishing adventures taking place in...

    Women Reshaping Conservation & Hunting

    Why are women becoming the fastest growing segment of hunters in America today? Their reasons for breaking the stereotype image of men in blaze orange range from...

    Extreme Survival Strategies

    How do Polar vortexes, climate change, record storms, extreme weather of all kinds play havoc on our ecosystems and all the species that live there? Discover the...

    Reconnecting Rivers & Invasive Species

    Maybe it's only natural that us humans rarely think about how our actions today might impact others or the environment 100 years later. That was especially true back in...

    Avian Stewards

    Hey, teachers and educators!! Don't forget to check out the advanced overview for some quick-start birding lessons in your classroom plus the lesson plans below.  Did...

    The Forest Products Lab

    From mass timber buildings to bioenergy from wood waste, explore the innovative ways forest products are being used to combat climate change and support healthy...

    Into the History of Wolves

    In this Into the Outdoors episode, Adventure Team members, Zach and Mya, dive deep into the history and identity of wolves. They talk with a variety of environmental...

    Thank you, Partners!