Sometimes due to an animals’ natural history, they will be found in places that may seem unnatural to you (for example, a bird on the ground). These stages are vital in their growth and development and so, while they may seem vulnerable, they are actually perfectly healthy and are often still being tended to by their parents. Before acting and picking up any wild animal, please call a rescue center, MINAE or the local police and ask what you should do.
When you encounter a baby wild animal, your first instinct is to try to rescue it, especially if it’s alone. Before intervening, make sure it actually needs help. In many cases, it’s totally normal for wildlife babies to be on their own. ‘Rescuing’ an animal that doesn’t need rescuing actually decreases its chance of survival. Calling a local wildlife rehabilitator should be your first step to provide help for the animal. Do not try to take care of a wild animal yourself. Caring for wildlife is a round-the-clock job and requires special training to do it properly.
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary has received over 550 baby animals in the 4 years we have kept thorough records. These babies vary from opossums and sloths, to parrots and peccaries. There are many animals in between. One of the many patients was Uma, the northern tamandua.
Uma came in weighing only 322g or .71 lbs. She spent many weeks in one of our working incubators. She was found near a road and the wonderful people that found her placed her a bit further from the road for her safety but then stepped away to see if a mother was around trying to have her baby back. After an hour of waiting, they saw no sign of a mother and brought her here. While we hope every baby can grow in the wild with its mother, sometimes the baby is abandoned or the mother is killed or threatened and loses the baby escaping danger. Fortunately for Uma, she was a healthy baby able to grow here and be released. We think something happened to the mother separating them when she was very young based on where she was found and how healthy she was. Uma returned to the wild after months in our nursery, rehabilitation area, then pre-release enclosures.
We have had three incubators for 4 years, but 2 of them were used donations to help us get started when we opened in 2014. These have seen better times and even after repair and replacement parts, their function is now a holding area and we place hot water bottles or heating pads to give warmth to the animals.
Thanks to a few donors and AABLA network, we have purchased a new incubator and had a kind person help us transport it to Costa Rica.
We appreciate our support from all over the world and the AABLA network for their help and support for wildlife.
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