First Aid for Motorists 3

SPECIES

Foxes, badgers, and otters are very dangerous to handle and should be left covered until an
experienced handler arrives on the scene.

Deer are powerful, nervous and can cause injury by kicking or bucking. Once again leave the
animal covered until help arrives.

Hedgehogs and other small mammals should be handled with thick gloves as some species have
quite nasty teeth and claws.

Rabbits and Hares will kick with their back legs but have very weak back bones so always
support both ends of the animal.

Birds: similarly some birds are dangerous, some are not but always handle a bird by holding it
around the shoulders preventing it from flapping its wings and never allow it near your face.

Swans and geese can be held this way. Swans will not bite but can cause injuries with their wings,
which must be controlled. Geese may bite but generally will not cause any injury.

Herons, bitterns, grebes and other birds with long pointed beaks may well try to stab a handler
especially around the face. Always hold the head first and cover it.

Birds of prey and owls will attack with their feet and very seldom bite. Wear thick gloves or wrap
it in a coat or blanket all the time watching for the feet and talons.

Crows and gulls have painful, if not dangerous bites. An elastic band around the TIP of the beak
will prevent this happening. Once again thick gloves or a coat are good protection.

Toads and frogs can be picked up with bare hands but frogs are notoriously slippery and can
jump so hold in the enclosed hand.

MOVING THE ANIMAL

None of the large mammals should be moved unless they are moved on some form of stretcher. A
sheet of wood slid under the animal will do. The practice by some people of dragging deer off the
road in order to shoot them away from the highway, can cause excruciating pain to an injured
animal and could possibly be classed as cruelty under the Protection of Animals legislation. If
euthanasia is prescribed by a veterinary surgeon then a painless intravenous injection is far more
humane than shooting.

Most small mammals and birds can be carried to a rescue centre in a cardboard box.

ANIMAL LAW

Most wild animal collisions are accidental and unavoidable and are seen as such by animal
protection legislation. Any wild animal that is injured in a road accident can be legally picked up
and taken into care with the intention of releasing it once it has recovered.

Remember SEE AND BE SEEN