☎️ The Public & the Phone · 4 min
Who to call when a problem arises
Why this matters
Knowing where to get information is a skill in itself. The exam tests it because in the field it is the difference between a good outcome and a call to the wrong agency.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Build a contact list before you need it
- Match common problems to the right agency
Every rehabilitator should keep this list current and next to the phone.
| # | Contact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Local veterinarians with wildlife expertise |
| 2 | Area rehabilitators, and their areas of expertise |
| 3 | Animal Control Officers |
| 4 | Nuisance wildlife control operator (NWCO) |
| 5 | Police dispatch |
| 6 | County Department of Health office |
| 7 | Your physician and the local emergency room |
| 8 | NYSDEC regional office and NYSDEC Dispatch |
| 9 | NYSDEC Special Licenses Unit, Albany: (518) 402-8985 |
Who does what
- NYSDEC wildlife biologists maintain healthy wildlife populations and preserve habitat. They can also help identify difficult species.
- Department of Health controls zoonotic disease. Every bite is reportable to them.
- Department of Agriculture and Markets handles the effects of wildlife on agricultural resources, and approves RVS caging alongside the Health Department.
- Special Licenses Unit issues and oversees your license, and takes the 48-hour endangered species call.
The regions
New York is divided into nine DEC regions. Region 1 is Suffolk and Nassau; Region 2 is New York City; Region 5 covers the eastern Adirondacks including Hamilton, Essex and Franklin; Region 9 is the far west including Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua. Know your own region number, because it is who you call first.
This lesson is part of the NY Wildlife Rehabilitator Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.