Reminder: When Entangled Wildlife Is Found In Malta, Don’t Untangle And Release
The newly founded Malta Ranger Unit pressure group is reminding people to refrain from untangling and releasing entangled wildlife, due to the risks of worsening the situation.
Instead, one should always call for assistance, to make sure that the creature does not require further medical assistance or rehabilitation before being released.
So why is it important to call for assistance?
According to the Malta Ranger Unit, entangled wildlife might be tired or sick and in need of vet checkups and possibly rehabilitation before being released back into the wild.
Furthermore, removing entanglement is a delicate process in order to not inflict further harm on the animal. Hence, it’s best handled by a professional, ideally a vet.
Sometimes the animal has internal injuries that wouldn’t be visible and only a vet can spot them during an x-ray. Releasing wildlife without a proper check, although with good intentions, can be a death sentence for the creature.
Who should you call?
For the below wildlife, if found injured or entangled, one should always call the Wildlife Rescue Team managed by Nature Trust Malta:
Marine turtles, dolphins, hedgehogs, bats, chameleons, local snakes (not pet snakes), local painted frogs, all local reptiles, local wild rabbits, and the local wild weasel.
For those animals please contact WRT at (+356) 99999505. They are fully licensed by ERA to care for those specific animals.
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