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Answering the Call of the Wild…

Nathalie Karvonen

Toronto Wildlife Centre

Wildlife Hotlines can help

people and wildlife in 4 ways:

Assessing calls about sick, injured and “orphaned”

wildlife

Assisting people with

resolving Nuisance Situations

Providing General Information

Coordinating Wildlife Rescues

The Importance of Wildlife Hotlines

• Saving lives

• Alerting you to larger problems

• Reducing field responses

• Reducing admissions

• Establishing credibility

• Fundraising

• Educating both individuals & the

community

TWC’s Wildlife Hotline

• Became a separate entity in 1997

• Receives 30,000 calls

per year looking for

advice on wildlife

situations

• Our musts: the right

personality, on-the-job

training, and good resources (of all kinds)

How it all began…

The Need for an Internal Tool:

• Long training time due to huge amount of information to be taught

• No standardized resource

• Burn-out rate high compared to other positions – can’t rely on people to be there

forever…

How it all began…

The Need for an External Tool:

• Inconsistent / incorrect information being given out

• Animals were suffering and dying

• Difficulty in getting other organizations to redirect calls

• Too many calls for one organization any ways!

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A little goes a long way…unfortunately

Without proper resources

to consult, bits of true

information were being

incorrectly applied

Babies left out with no heat source

Adult birds mistaken for babies

Sick animals

presumed healthy

Healthy animals

presumed sick

The Bigger Picture of Public Education

Always needs to be Considered

• Acknowledging our role as educators: utilizing

resources and

recognizing the lasting effects of learning

• We have a unique opportunity to teach

things relevant to the

learner’s experience

A Wildlife Hotline

Resource Manual

Is born…!

Challenges in Creating an Information

Resource

• Needed to be both streamlined and browse-able

• Needed to be useful to novices and experts

• Needed to be usable on the phone (diagrams, tables) but still include all the necessary information

Part A: Getting Started

• Basic information on operating wildlife hotlines

• Process on a hotline call

• Qualities of a hotline operator

• Developing contact lists

• Finding and choosing a rehabilitator

• Liability and other legal issues related to wildlife

Part B: Taking Calls

Chapters on:

• Sick or

Injured Animals

• Orphaned Animals

• Wildlife Capture

• Distressed or

Trapped Animals

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Part B: Taking Calls

• Conflict Situations

• Wildlife and Pets

• Public Health and

Safety

• Wild Animal I.D.

Basics

Part C: Species Information

Each Chapter Contains:

• Baby Identification Tips

• Stages of Development in Babies

• Potential Emergencies and False Alarms

• Tips for the Rescuer

• Frequently Asked Questions

Hotline Caller: “I have a black furry animal on my driveway,

white on back and tail, what to do with it? How to make it go

away?”

The importance of correct identification

Hotline Caller: “I found a baby goose – it’s all yellow with

some darker patches, black feet, a black beak with a lighter tip,

and it’s constantly peeping. There was no mother in sight!”

The importance of correct identification

Part D: Appendices

• Examples of Hotline Calls

• Baby Identification Tables

• Baby Photographs

• Quick Reference Guides for Step-by-Step Call Response

• Forms and Education Literature

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Addressing Common Situations

Mistaken identities

Assessing when human intervention

is needed

Providing step-by-step instructions

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OR

OR…

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What’s Not Included:

The Who and the How

• Qualities of hotline operators – people who like

people

• Models of public education:

one-way delivery versus

exchange. Are you open to learning?

• The human-human conflict. What are your goals in

taking calls?

Adapt your tone / response

for each caller – are they:Taking the manual to service providers:

Training workshops for the OMNR

• History and Objectives of Wildlife Rehabilitation

• Intra-Organizational Cooperation

• Common Hotline Mistakes

• Identifying Goals, Adapting the

Manual for your use

• The Role of Public Educators

• How To Use the Manual

• Strategies for Working with the Public

• Workshopping Sample Calls

Taking the manual to service providers:

Training workshops for the OMNR• Raccoon Chapter—health and safety issues,

FAQ

• Wildlife as Pets

• Rabies

• Raccoon Roundworm

• Legal Issues

• Identify issues and differences in perspective

• Connect with the caller –relate and share

information without

alienating them

• Recognize your goals in

answering the call

Content

How do I find the

information I need?

Strategy

How can I best work

with this caller?

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What’s Next?

• Publicize to other Organizations

• Training workshops for

local Animal Services

• Standardized Training

Course

• Online Version

Tips for a Successful Hotline

• Do what you can to get the right person on the phone

• Spend time gathering information (open-ended questions, gauging caller’s concern)

• Explain your process as you go

• Admit when you don’t know – it’s not a sign of

weakness!

• Acknowledge your perspective, consider other

perspectives and circumstances in your approach

www.torontowildlifecentre.com/hotlinemanual

Wildlife Hotline (416) 631-0662

The End