Are wildlife rehabilitators REQUIRED to work with snakes?

To answer your question - no, wildlife rehabilitators are not required to work with any specific animal. They can decide what they will specialize in.





Contrary to what Jim said, however, Wildlife Rehabilitators ARE licensed. ';U.S. wildlife rehabilitators must hold permits or licenses from the state and federal governments. Other permits from local agencies may also be necessary.'; http://www.owra.org/becoming.htm





Also, rehabilitators do not run a business. They provide a service, for which they generally do not charge a fee. They rely on donations, and often contribute their own money as well as their time.





And I disagree with another of Jim's statements. He said ';I am personally opposed to people taking injured wildlife and attempting to repair and rehab it. It is contrary to Nature. Also, wildlife belongs to the public, no one individual has more rights to any wildlife, for any reason, than anyone else.';





It is not contrary to nature. Humans have caused many of the problems, so it is right that humans endeavor to fix them. ';Contact between humans and wildlife grows daily as humans expand into or destroy wildlife habitat. In most cases, when humans and wildlife collide, wildlife suffers. Wildlife rehabilitation gives these wild


animals a second chance to live free in their natural habitat.';


http://www.ewildagain.org/pdf/RecBooklet鈥?/a>





Also, the rehabilitators do not OWN the animals they help. The license does not allow the rehabilitator to keep the animal as a pet. Thel icenses allow them to keep the wild animal only as long as it takes for the animal to become healthy enough for release back into the wild, where everyone can enjoy it. If they are caught keeping any animals that should have been released, they can be fined, just as any individual who keeps a wild animal with no permit.





Jim also states ';There are no rules, because they are not regulated.'; Wildlife rehabilitators are regulated by the state and federal governments. They also have their own professional associations - National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) - that set standards for the care of wildlife.








It surprises me that Jim, who identifies himself as a biologist, does not know any of this.Are wildlife rehabilitators REQUIRED to work with snakes?
Absolutely not. All rehabbers seem to have their specialties and the Fish and Game and all the Rehabilitation organizations would prefer that you focus your energy on smaller groups of animals. Rehabbing can become very intense and you burn out fast by overdoing it.


I worked in a wildlife hospital and it was very overwhelming to deal with all species that came in.


In response to ';Jim';, rehabilitation is regulated and the federal fish and game issue licenses and we take exams in order to become licensed. Only certain facilities can take endangered species but any licensed rehabber can accept, treat and then transport any wild animal to those facilities.Are wildlife rehabilitators REQUIRED to work with snakes?
Not if they specialize in mammals or birds.





Done.
No, generally rehabbers work on their own on whatever species they specialize in. When i went to call for rehabbers that worked on small animals there were lots in my area who each specialized in a specific type of animal (squirrels, possums, etc.)
No. Rehabilitators are not certified, licensed or even approved by any regulatory agency. Some states, in the USA, do have the Dept of Natural Resources issue a permit for keeping wildlife. It is actually illegal to keep wildlife, in any condition.





All of them are private cit zens running a private business. Therefore they can choose which animals they wish to ';rehabilitate';. There are no rules, because they are not regulated. However, they are NOT allowed to mess with threatened or endangered species.





I am personally opposed to people taking injured wildlife and attempting to repair and rehab it. It is contrary to Nature. Also, wildlife belongs to the public, no one individual has more rights to any wildlife, for any reason, than anyone else.