DFW Wildlife Hotline

08/10/2026

This Eastern Screech-Owl was found trapped on a glue trap alongside a small rodent who was also stuck. 💔

Glue traps are indiscriminate and can cause severe injury, stress, and death to wildlife and other animals. This little owl was incredibly lucky to be found and rescued.

Please never use glue traps outdoors or anywhere wildlife can access them. There are safer, humane alternatives.

Thank you to everyone who helps us rescue and protect North Texas wildlife! 🦉❤️

📞Questions? Concerns?
Call us (972) 234-9453 (WILD)

07/26/2026

Join us for this wonderful workshop with Texas Parks and Wildlife-DFW Urban Wildlife about raccoons featuring our very own Director, Prudi! Come discover more about our incredible wild neighbors and the important role they play in our ecosystem. We share our world with them—come learn how we can better understand and appreciate them. 🦝💕

Sign up here:

Hear from local wildlife experts on how to appreciate and safely coexist with our raccoon neighbors!

07/25/2026

It’s HOT in North Texas… and wildlife is feeling it too! 🐍💧

Today we received a call about this beautiful garter snake, which had taken refuge near a garden hose. The homeowner was understandably concerned, but the snake was simply acting defensively after feeling threatened.

During these extreme summer temperatures, snakes often seek:
• Shade
• Cooler areas around homes
• Moisture or a drink of water
• Places where prey is active

Garter snakes are nonvenomous to people in any practical sense and are incredibly beneficial neighbors. They help control insects, slugs, frogs, and rodents, making them valuable members of our ecosystem.

Interestingly, garter snakes do produce a very mild venom that helps them subdue small prey such as frogs, fish, earthworms, and rodents. However, they do not have an effective venom delivery system capable of causing significant harm to humans. Their first instinct is almost always to escape. If they feel cornered, they may flatten their bodies, strike defensively, or release a strong-smelling musk to convince a predator to leave them alone.

If you encounter one:
🐍Give it space.
💧If it’s safe to do so, you can let a hose drip gently or place out a shallow dish of fresh water during periods of extreme heat.
🚫 Avoid trying to handle or kill the snake. Most will move along once they’ve cooled off or had a chance to hydrate.

Remember, a defensive snake is not an aggressive snake—it is simply trying to survive. As our North Texas summer temperatures soar, wildlife is doing its best to find shade, water, and a safe place to escape the heat.

A special thank you to the father who called us today and chose to turn this encounter into a valuable lesson about nature for his children instead of harming the snake. Thank you for allowing us to share your photo to help educate others.

Thank you for helping keep North Texas wildlife—and people—safe! ❤️🐍

📞Questions? Concerns?
Call us (972) 234-9453 (WILD)

07/22/2026

Interested in a workshop all about our masked little wild friends? Take a look! 🦝💕

The eternal question. If you’ve ever been tempted to befriend your neighborhood raccoons, you should join us on August 1st at our Living with Raccoons workshop, to learn all the do's and don'ts about raccoon interactions. Full details linked in comments.

07/13/2026

Every spring and summer, our two most common calls are baby birds ( #1) and baby cottontail rabbits ( #2).

One of the most important things we do is help reunite young wildlife with their families—because wild moms are the best moms.

🐦 Found a fledgling?
If it can fly even about 3 feet off the ground, that’s great! Fledglings are meant to spend time on the ground while their parents continue feeding and teaching them. They can hop, flutter onto low branches, and gradually make their way higher as they gain strength. Unless they’re injured or in immediate danger, the best place for them is with their parents.

🐇 Found a cottontail nest in your yard?
If you have dogs that need to be outside during the day, place a sturdy crate, laundry basket with openings, or similar protective barrier over the nest during daylight hours to prevent curious pets from disturbing it. Secure it well so it can’t be moved.

Just remember: Remove the crate every evening and leave it off through the morning. Mother cottontails typically return to nurse their babies at dusk and again around dawn. If the barrier stays on overnight, she may not be able to reach them.

When in doubt, contact us before moving or removing wildlife. A quick conversation can often keep a family together—and that’s the best outcome for everyone. ❤️

Have you ever found a baby bird or a rabbit nest in your yard? Share your story or questions in the comments!

📞Questions? Concerns?
Call us (972) 234-9453 (WILD)

📸 Alisa G. (One of our volunteers)

07/02/2026

Fourth of July is coming up, here are a few reminders on why we should leave fireworks to the professionals & creative ideas on how we can celebrate at home 🎆

❓How do fireworks disrupt wildlife/animals? What can we do to prevent this?

1. *Disorientation* of birds that potentially fly out in panic from their roost, causing them to fly into various objects such as windows, buildings, and billboards. Study shows they are still effected weeks thereafter. Cities near coastal regions have birds that will fly out to sea.

2. *Separation* of wildlife families. Right now is baby season, many wildlife families will scatter. PLEASE drive slower in neighborhood areas for there maybe wildlife that is disorientated running into the streets. Also, your safety is number one to us, and be aware of your surroundings.

3. *Fire*

4. *Air and water pollution*. Gasses are released in the air making it toxic not only to birds, but also us. Metal salts and explosives in fireworks chemically change when combined with oxygen. Releasing greenhouse gasses such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. Percholorates in drinking water from lakes where fireworks are set off remain 20 to 80 days after.

🐶Non-wildlife:

Please bring your companion animals indoors especially in the evening hours for the entire week of Fourth of July since people like to set them off at various days surrounding this date. Monitor their potty time outside. Shelters see an influx of injured/ stray animals. Even if you aren’t the one setting off fireworks, your neighbors might, so please take caution. Their ears are much more sensitive than ours. Ways to calm them once indoors: veterinarian prescribed anxiety medication, anxiety vests and/or soft music with lots of love!

🪁So what other ways can we joyfully celebrate at home if we can not make it to a city organized firework display? Fun for the entire family:

1. Glow sticks
2. Fiber optic Light up wands
3. Laser shows
4. Cell Phones or LED ropes to make light graffiti
5. Bubbles for the kids
6. Water color fireworks, simply with some food dye and a mason jar of water
7. Straw rockets (paper decorated and placed on a straw use breathe
out to make them fly)

Since in the wild, fireworks are not a natural occurrence their wildlife instincts tell them there is danger and to self preserve. Even our very own bald eagles find it hard to cope.

Thank you for reading and I trust you find this reminder helpful. Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸 🦅

🌱

06/23/2026

🐥Creative Duckling Pool Escape Challenge! 🐥

Every spring and summer, we receive calls about ducklings trapped in backyard swimming pools. While the water is easy to get into, the smooth pool walls can make it nearly impossible for tiny ducklings to climb back out.

We’ve seen some wonderfully creative solutions, including:
🦆 A wet towel draped over the pool edge & boogie board as a ramp or you can use anything that floats (cooler styrofoam top)
🦆 A yoga mat extending into the water
🦆 A cooler or storage bin turned upside down with a towel ramp
🦆 A floating dock made from foam and zip ties
🦆 Pet pool ramps adapted for wildlife
🦆Amazon pool ramps for wildlife

The goal is simple: provide a rough, stable surface that starts in the water and reaches above the pool edge so ducklings can climb out on their own.

Now we want to see YOUR ideas!
📸 Have you built a duckling escape ramp?
📸 Have a clever design using items around the house?

Share photos and ideas in the comments below. Your creativity could help save ducklings, frogs, turtles, and other wildlife that accidentally end up in residential pools!

📞Questions? Concerns?
Call us (972) 234-9453 (WILD)

06/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who supported us during North Texas Gives to Animals! ❤️🐾

We are deeply grateful to each person who donated, shared our fundraiser, and helped spread the word. Your support makes our work possible and strengthens our ability to serve our community across North Texas.

Thanks to your support, we raised $2,120 in donations, plus $300 in matching gifts, for a total of $2,420 raised to help continue our mission.

We can’t do it without our lovely volunteers and callers. 🐣

06/01/2026

Meet Roxy, the newest member of the DFW Wildlife Hotline team!

Roxy is our new AI hotline volunteer, helping answer calls when our human volunteers are unavailable so that wildlife gets timely assistance when it matters most.

Since May 1, our human volunteers have answered 1,428 calls, while Roxy has handled 2,152 inquiries — providing guidance on injured wildlife, explaining normal animal behaviors, and directing callers to helpful resources.

But while Roxy can provide information, it can't replace the compassion, judgment, and experience of our incredible human volunteers.

Every day, people call us about orphaned or injured wildlife situations. Often, they're looking for more than answers. They need someone to listen, guide them, and help them make the best decision for the animal.

That's why we need more volunteers.

- No wildlife experience required
- Training provided
- Volunteer from home

If you've been looking for a meaningful way to help wildlife, now is the perfect time to join our hotline team.

👉 Learn more about volunteering: https://www.dfwwildlife.org/volunteers/

Together, we can make sure no animal slips through the cracks.

05/15/2026

During North Texas Gives to Animals, every dollar you give can go 2x further thanks to a $100,000 matching pool from generous sponsors. That means more rescued animals, more medical care, and more second chances, all without spending an extra cent.

your impact = instantly doubled

Donate here:

https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Dfw-Wildlife-Coalition