In mid-July 2024, officials from Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) notified DCHS’s Wildlife Center that their team of Animal Service Officers (ASOs) would be prohibited from picking up any sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals reported by members of the public unless they were deemed a “true or significant risk to health and human safety.” From that day forward, ASOs could only bring wildlife to DCHS that were known or suspected to have had contact with people or companion animals, such as a high-risk rabies-vector species (e.g., bats) biting or scratching someone. In the past year, our team of Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators have only assisted ASOs with humane euthanasia services in these situations. Not only is it an emotional burden for our staff to perform these duties, but it hurts many others in the process.

The unfortunate decision to halt wildlife rescue and transport services was made in response to a severe budget deficit that then required city and county-wide reductions of paid staff time for “non-essential” services. As wild animals are considered property of the State and are protected by state laws, management of their ownership remains with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and are not viewed as an essential service to fund at the local level. For the last 20 years, this dedicated team of ASOs rescued and transported thousands of wild animals to DCHS’s Wildlife Center, playing a vital role in supporting One Health – the interconnected well-being of animals, humans, and environmental health in our community. By performing this work, ASOs helped to reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases, lessened exposures from wildlife to humans and companion animals, and improved individual welfare for all animals that were picked-up after being found suffering from sickness, emaciation, or injuries – most caused by anthropogenic factors (caused by humans). Their efforts made a significant difference to people and animals. 

Our wildlife program felt the ripple effect of this change deeply. Calls for help have greatly increased, as community members reach out in distress, hoping someone can rescue or transport an injured or orphaned wild animal. While in our hearts we would love to help, this critical public service is not sustainable nor easily managed as an independent, privately funded non-profit organization. DCHS’s Wildlife Center has a handful of paid staff members, most of which are trained wildlife rehabilitators focused on the care of the animals already in our wildlife center. Our team has the expertise and experience for these situations, but no resources to take on the work that ASOs were already doing in the past. The loss of this service has created painful gaps for our community, especially for those who lack access to transportation or the ability to safely bring an animal to us. 

This change has led to new risks related to wildlife disease transmission potential and more suffering experienced by wild animals left to fend for themselves. For example, sick and injured animals are being left in the environment for longer periods of time, increasing the exposure risk to predators, scavengers, or unsuspecting kids, pets, or other people who interact with them. Desperate to help, members of the public are also keeping wild animals longer than the 24 hours the law allows because they cannot transport the animal to DCHS or get through to a DNR biologist, warden, or state official to assist them with a wildlife situation.  Our staff and volunteers have heard the rising frustration from callers who feel overwhelmed by a confusing maze of referrals—from the DNR, to public health departments, to scattered rehab centers—just to find someone who can help.

In the absence of trained responders, well-meaning citizens are taking matters into their own hands. They're picking up animals they don’t have the experience—or safety equipment—to handle, putting themselves at risk of bites, scratches, or disease transmission. It’s a system that’s no longer working, and people—and animals—are suffering because of it.

Although Public Health Madison & Dane County isn’t currently allocating funding for wildlife services, advocating for better funding could mean the potential for ASO’s to become available again in the future for rescue and transports – being staffed and able to do their jobs for companion animals as well as wildlife alike here in Dane County. Without change, the burden will continue to fall on us, a small team doing the best we can with limited resources. And while our commitment is unwavering, the truth is: we can’t do this alone.