Ch 4: Section four: What you need to know about wildlife diseases
A few wildlife-related safety tips from the CDC that you may want to share
with customers
Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even
if they appear friendly. "Love your own, leave other animals alone."
Enjoy wild animals from afar. Never adopt wild animals or bring them into
your home. Do not handle, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals to
your home or yard (see below).
Don't try to nurse sick animals to health. Do not "rescue" baby
birds or other baby animals. They usually don't need it. (Direct questions
to a wildlife rehabilitator or DEC Bureau of Wildlife staff.)
Before traveling abroad, consult with a health care provider, travel clinic,
or your health department about the risk of exposure to rabies. They can advise
you about whether pre-exposure rabies vaccinations are sensible, and how you
should handle an exposure in that country, should it arise.
These CDC tips focus on disease prevention. As we mentioned earlier, you
can take measures to prevent nuisance situations while leaving part of your
landscape for wildlife. There are many things to consider when managing land
for wildlife, including the risk of exposure to wildlife diseases.
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(Medically important or just media hype?)