The short answer
If you are in Memphis, Shelby County or anywhere in West Tennessee, text 901-340-6534 with a photo. We are Out of the Woods Wildlife Rescue & Rehab, a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit permitted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. There is no charge, and a photo answers in ten seconds what a long description cannot.
If you are outside our area, the two statewide tools below will find someone closer.
Statewide and national directories
TWRA publishes a list of permitted wildlife rehabilitators in Tennessee, organised by county.
Animal Help Now searches by species and location and covers the whole country. It is what most people end up using, and it is the fastest option if you are away from home.
While you are waiting
Contain the animal in a cardboard box with air holes and something soft that will not catch toenails.
Warm it. Covered warm water bottle, or a heating pad on low under half the box so it can move away from the heat.
Dark and quiet, away from pets and children.
Nothing to eat or drink, including water.
Why not to feed it
What if nobody answers?
Wildlife rehabilitation in Tennessee is done almost entirely by unpaid, permitted individuals working out of their own garages and funding their own patients. During spring and late-summer baby season everyone is at capacity, and a slow reply is not indifference.
Keep the animal warm, quiet and unfed, and keep trying. Text rather than call if you can — a rehabber with formula in both hands can answer a text between feedings. Send a photo, the animal's approximate size, where you found it, and whether a cat or dog was involved.
Which animals we can take
We are permitted for a specific set of species, and permits differ between rehabbers. Raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats are rabies vector species in Tennessee and carry extra restrictions, so not every rehabber can accept them. If we cannot take your animal, we will tell you who can — we would rather spend five minutes routing you correctly than have you drive an hour to the wrong place.
Start with your species
If you want to help
The reason it is hard to find a rehabber is that there are not enough of us. Tennessee licences new rehabilitators every year and we mentor people toward their permit for free.
How to become a wildlife rehabilitator in Tennessee
If that is more than you can take on, donations pay for formula and vet bills, and volunteering covers everything from transport to laundry.