NYC Animal Rescue Free directory · All five boroughs

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If the animal is bleeding, struggling to breathe, collapsed, or has been caught by a cat, it needs care now. 24-hour emergency vets.

Found injured or orphaned wildlife

Only licensed rehabilitators may legally handle wild animals. Where to take them, and what not to do.

Wildlife rehabilitation - critical and legally distinct

The rule first: only NYS-licensed wildlife rehabilitators may legally handle wild animals in New York, and most wild animals cannot legally be kept as pets. Wildlife is a rehabilitation-and-release matter, NOT an adoption matter. If you find injured, sick or orphaned wildlife, contact a licensed rehabber for advice before handling it - some species need special handling and some carry diseases transmissible to people.

NYC's main wildlife hospital - The Wild Bird Fund

565 Columbus Avenue (between 87th & 88th), New York, NY 10024. Phone 646-306-2862. Open daily 9am-7pm. NYC's only wildlife rehabilitation & education center. Takes injured/sick/orphaned wild birds AND small mammals (pigeons, waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, squirrels, opossums) 7 days a week; walk-in, no appointment needed (leave a message if arriving near closing). Found-a-bird guidance: wildbirdfund.org/how-to-help/rescue. IG @wildbirdfund.

LIMITATION: WBF CANNOT take exotic birds (budgerigars, parrots) or domestic birds (chickens, quail, domestic geese, tame doves). It CAN take rock/domestic pigeons. For exotic or domestic birds WBF can't take, Animal Care Centers of NYC (311 / 212-788-4000) is the drop-off (as of 2022): chukars, chickens, domestic geese, budgerigars, etc.

NYC-area licensed rehabbers - raptors & general (state + federally licensed):

Can't transport an injured bird yourself?

NYC veterinarians who will see WILDLIFE by appointment (rare - most vets won't):

The official directory - NYS DEC 'Find a Wildlife Rehabilitator'

Rabies Vector Species - raccoons, skunks, bats (important NYC limitation)

There are NO NYC-licensed wildlife rehabilitators who can take raccoons, skunks or bats, because these are classified as Rabies Vector Species (RVS) in New York and require a special RVS license. Licensed RVS rehabbers exist in surrounding counties - find them via the DEC rehabber search (select 'bats, raccoons, or skunks' and search county by county). For an RVS animal in the city: stay away, do not touch or feed it, call 311 and ask for the Urban Park Rangers, and file the parks online report; call 911 too if there's a risk to people or the animal. If you've had contact with an RVS animal, contact your doctor immediately. Any mammal can carry rabies. (For coyote questions: Gotham Coyote Project - seeing a coyote in NYC is usually not cause for alarm.)

Second directory - NYS Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (NYSWRC)

Marine mammals & sea turtles (seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles)

Wild turtles specifically

What to do / what NOT to do with an injured wild animal

DO: note the exact location; if safe, contain a small bird/mammal in a ventilated box in a warm, dark, quiet place; keep it away from pets and children; call a licensed rehabber or the Wild Bird Fund promptly. Do NOT offer food or water unless a rehabber tells you to.

DON'T: try to raise or keep wildlife yourself (illegal and usually fatal for the animal); handle bats, raccoons or other rabies-vector species with bare hands (call DEC/animal control); or assume a lone fawn or fledgling is orphaned - many are not, so check with a rehabber first.

  • Vinegar Hill Veterinary Group (DUMBO/Brooklyn Heights) - Drs. Sara Neumann & Amy Adelman see wildlife by appointment; 57 Front St, Unit 101, Brooklyn 11201, (718) 797-6875. A Brooklyn option for an injured wild animal a rehabber directs to a vet.
  • The Humane Society of New York - Dr. Shackar Malka treats wildlife; 306 East 59th St, Manhattan, (212) 752-4840 (by appointment). A Manhattan option.
  • Note: these are for stabilizing/treating an injured wild animal in coordination with a licensed rehabber - the animal still needs to go to a rehabber for care-and-release. A vet visit is not a substitute for rehabilitation, and most wild animals cannot legally be kept.
  • Searchable by county and species: appfactory.dec.ny.gov/SpecialLicensesSearchSystem/rehab (overview: dec.ny.gov/nature/wildlife-health/rehabilitators). DEC general/after-hours line: (844) 332-3267. Not every rehabber can accept every animal, and many run at capacity in spring/summer - if one is full, try the next-nearest listing. Species like deer, raccoons, bats and federally protected birds need special permits and have very few licensees.
  • 'Find a Wildlife Professional': nyswrc.org/find-a-wildlife-professional. Lists NYC-area rehabbers including Urban Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitation (NYC) and WINORR - Wildlife In Need Of Rescue and Rehabilitation (NYC / Nassau / Suffolk). Contact details rotate with licensing; confirm current phone/email through this directory or the DEC search.
  • NY Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline: 631-369-9829 (24 hours), operated by the New York Marine Rescue Center (Riverhead), the only NY facility permitted to rehabilitate marine mammals and sea turtles. Keep your distance, keep dogs away, and call - do NOT attempt to move the animal. A seal resting ('hauled out') on a beach is often healthy; reporting lets trained responders assess it. Program contact: mmontello@nymarinerescue.org.
  • For sick/injured WILD native turtles, NYTTS's turtle-rehab program (Lorri Cramer, lorric750@gmail.com) has rehabbed NYC turtles for 30+ years. For PET turtles needing rehoming, see the reptiles rows of the main directory (NYTTS, Earthlings NYC). To report illegal sale of NY native reptiles/amphibians: DEC tips line 1-800-847-7332.

This guide is compiled from the project's research files. Contact details inside it can go stale — check the directory for the current listing, and confirm a number is live before you rely on it.