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

    Grizzly Bears Beyond the Horizon

    What happens when America’s most iconic wildlife species, the grizzly bear, is not only brought back from the brink of extinction by environmental protection, but...

    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 Bowfishing: Common Carp

    In this Into the Outdoors episode, we learn about bowfishing for the invasive species, common carp. Watch as Into the Outdoors Adventure Team members, Garrett and Kayla...

    Into Hunting and Conservation

    Anyone, anywhere can get started hunting with the right tools and guidance! Hunting anywhere is challenging, especially for an inexperienced hunter.  In order to be...

    Wild About Walleye

    Welcome to Wild About Walleyes as part of our Getting Families Fishing Series. As you’ll discover in this TV show and related classroom videos, walleye fishing offers...

    Into Bringing Back Wisconsin’s Elk

    Join us in this Into the Outdoors episode as we welcome the elk back to Wisconsin! But wait...maybe you didn’t even know they left?  Elk were completely eliminated in...

    Exploring Dairy Science

    How has dairy farming changed in the past 200 years? Discover the answers by watching the four parts of this science show and reading the information below. And to take...

    Into National Marine Sanctuaries

    The earth's oceans are home to thousands of species of marine life, from tiny plankton to enormous humpback whales. The Great Lakes' contain more than six thousand...

    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...

    Getting Families Fishing

    Okay admit it! Kids and even parents today can't seem to "disconnect" from their cell phones long often enough to make time for meaningful face-to-face connections with...

    Thank you, Partners!