when he gets ready to 

 mate, he's going to go to 

 a person to mate. That 

 can be very dangerous for 

 that person and for him." 



If you encounter an 

 animal that is truly in- 

 jured or orphaned and 

 want to help, the appro- 

 priate response varies by 

 species and situation. 

 Most importantly, re- 

 member that a wounded 

 wild animal is under 

 extreme stress and may 

 attack out of fear when 

 handled. 



"The stress for those 

 animals of just being 

 close to us is phenom- 

 enal," says Stephanie 

 Goetzinger, founder of 

 the Outer Banks Wildlife 

 Shelter. "We've had 

 people bring an animal in 

 and say, 'We held it all 

 the way here, and it's so 

 tame.' It's not tame; it's 

 in shock." 



Wounded sea turtles 

 should be reported to the 

 N.C. Wildlife Resources 

 sea turtle coordinator or 

 the nearest state 

 aquarium. To report a 

 dead or stranded seal, 

 dolphin or whale, call 

 the Marine Mammal 

 Stranding Network. Do 

 not approach or handle 

 any large marine animals 

 you find on the beach. It 

 is unsafe, not to mention 

 illegal. 



On land, never touch 

 a wounded animal with 

 bare hands. If it's neces- 

 sary to house it tempo- 

 rarily, keep it in a quiet 

 area away from peering 

 eyes and poking fingers. 

 It is illegal to keep a wild 

 animal for more than 24 

 hours without a proper 

 permit. 



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A juvenile raccoon awaits release. 



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A squirrel hangs out behind a Morehead City shelter. 



Hucks with a screech owl. 



"If you don't know 

 what you're doing, the 

 best thing you can do is 

 find somebody who 

 does," says Baptist. "If 

 somebody's had a baby 

 bird for a week and all 

 they've fed it is bread or 

 water, it's not going to 

 make it." 



Your local veterinar- 

 ian or law enforcement 

 officers may be able to 

 provide you with the 

 name of a rehabilitator 

 nearby. Also, the Wildlife 

 Resources Commission 

 office in Raleigh keeps a 

 data base of the state's 

 licensed rehabilitators and 

 will refer you to one in 

 your area. To find a spe- 

 cialist with birds of prey, 

 try the Carolina Raptor 

 Center. 



WHO TO CALL: 



• Carolina Raptor Center, 

 Charlotte: 704/875-6521. 



• Outer Banks Wildlife 

 Shelter, Morehead City: 

 919/240-1200. 



• N.C. Wildlife 

 Resources Commission 

 office, Raleigh: 

 919/733-7123. 



• N.C. Wildlife Resources 

 Commission sea turtle 

 coordinator: 

 919/726-7157. 



• Marine Mammal 

 Stranding Network, 

 Vicky Thayer, National 

 Marine Fisheries Service 

 area representative: 

 919/240-0386 or 

 919/728-3595. 



• N.C. Aquarium, 

 Manteo: 919/473-3494. 



• N.C. Aquarium, 

 Pine Knoll Shores: 

 919/247-4004. 



• N.C. Aquarium, Ft. 

 Fisher: 910/458-8259.0 



Carla B. Burgess 



22 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1994 



