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 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...

    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 Wetland Conservation

    In this Into the Outdoors episode, we’re taking you to South Dakota to learn about how wetland habitats are being protected on both public and private lands. Join Into...

    Sustainable Ecosystems: Restoring Walleyes in Native Lakes

    Dive into this "tail" of walleye conservation, as our Into the Outdoors Adventure Team member, Zach, discovers the significance of this species culturally and...

    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...

    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...

    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...

    Electrifying Careers in Energy

    Calling all recruits! This is Director V speaking here. Are you looking for an exciting career that uses creativity and innovation? Inspires leadership? Solves...

    Shooting Sports Challenge

    Welcome to the Shooting Sports Challenge television show that's part of our America’s Conservation & Hunting Heritage Series airing nationally on 5 digital networks...

    Game Bird Quest

    Pheasant hunting is in our heritage, and is an outdoor recreation that many people include in their lifestyles today. Huh, so what’s the big deal? Why are people so...

    Thank you, Partners!