It is an offence to release into the wild a bird or animal that is of a kind not normally resident in Great Britain, unless you obtain a licence to do so. This ban extends to many foreign animals that have become established here, such as the grey squirrel, and also to some native species, such as the barn owl. It is also an offence to sell or release to the wild a short list of highly invasive plants.

If a wild animal comes onto your property or if you see one that is injured, contact the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control immediately. Do not approach the animal.

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory provides information on how to locate a wildlife rehabilitator near you. Your state natural resources department may also be able to provide assistance; the Web page at <http://fa.r9.fws.gov/r9mat/zing/links.html> provides links to all state pages, along with contact information.

The web application of the Diseases Database is intended as an 'aide memoir' and World Wide Web springboard for medically qualified health professionals and medical students. The Database itself provides A classification of medical concepts along clinical axes (e.g. cause-effect, risk factors, interactions etc) rather than hierarchies of anatomical, physiological or pathological systems.

The list of plant names is available here: http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/select_lists/plant_taxon_list.txt It includes over 6,000 scientific names along with the number of photos we have for that species. This text file is in delimited format so that it can be parsed by a program or loaded into a speadsheet or database. It is updated nightly.

We do not have staff at CalPhotos that can identify plants and animals, but we do keep a list of resources that might be helpful. Please see Identifying Plants and Animals for resources you can use to identify plants, insects, and other creatures.

If you think that you might have a critter in the attic, the best thing to do is try to identify what the animal might be and how it has entered your home. If you can find the entrance, the best thing to do is wait for the animal to leave and block off the hole. If this is not a possibility, there are companies that are available that will remove the animal for you.

Contact your local wildlife rehabilitator, humane society, or ASPCA. One of these should be able to help. Wildlife rehabilitators should be contacted especially if the animal/bird has been injured. Wildlife rehabilitators can often be located in the phone book under "wildlife" or "sanctuaries," or through your local humane association. -Hide

We do not have the resources to maintain these! Whilst most human diseases are represented in one or more mammals, there are thousands of disorders affecting other mammals which do not afflict humans. Diseases of non-human animals that may be transmitted to or from man (Zoonoses) are of course included. Arguably each species warrants its own Diseases Database 'subset'.

This information is available at the California Department of Food and Agriculture website. Their URL is: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov. The California Highway Patrol has received many inquiries from people who have seen this message on the Internet. The simple answer is, it is not true. Of course, as a law enforcement agency we would caution people not to do anything in their vehicles which could anger or upset other drivers. But to our knowledge, nothing of this sort has taken place.

The criteria that determine when our patients are ready to be released are healthy body weight, diving independently for fish and sound medical condition.

Please contact your local or state game comission or call the Humane Society. They may be able to recommend the next steps for you.

If you have an injured raptor (hawk, owl, kestrel, osprey, eagle, or falcon), we can refer you to the appropriate Raptor Recovery Program. All raptors are protected by law. If you have a baby animal that you think may be orphaned, the best thing to do is to leave it where you found it or to put it back where you found it. If you have found an orphaned or injured wild animal, you may contact Iowa DNR Conservation Officer Dave Tierney at 712-363-2956.

Nothing. Baby birds on the ground are not abandoned they are simply learning to fly and their mother knows where they are. Other animals like baby rabbits left in a nest are left alone for a reason. The mother doesn't visit the nest often during the day to avoid calling attention to it from predators. Never approach a injured adult, as they may be extremely dangerous. The best thing you can do for any wild animal is leave it where you find it.

Capturing a wild animal and releasing it in another area is prohibited by Massachusetts law. Rabies in raccoons is spreading throughout the eastern United States. Moving animals from one area to another may spread this disease to new areas. To protect people and wildlife, Do Not Relocate, Problem Wildlife! Wild animals sometimes damage homes, gardens and lawns. Often people want to catch the problem animals and release them someplace else.

Unless a wild animal is in immediate danger, it is usually best to leave it alone. To get specific information, call the Wildlife Help Line at 1-888-924-2444 or check with the wildlife rehabilitation centre nearest you.

It may not be orphaned, so it's usually best to leave a young jackrabbit or fawn where it is. Mother deer and hares often leave their young on their own, so their scent doesn't attract predators. If the young animal appears sick or injured, or is in an unsafe location, check here for more information, call the Wildlife Help Line at 1-888-924-2444 or check with the wildlife rehabilitation centre nearest you.

Seeing a wild animal, such as raccoon, opossum, deer, etc. is not a problem in itself. Animals commonly frequent residential areas, but are usually secretive and go unnoticed. If left alone, these animals do not present a hazard to the public. Keeping your areas clean of garbage, refuse, and other food attractants will limit animals from invading your property.

In most cases, a wild bird or animal in a basement will be able to leave on its own if it is given a means of exit. This is best done by opening the basement windows and turning off the lights in the basement. If there is a doorway to the outside at the top of the basement stairs, this should also be opened. The animal should recognize the open doors or windows as exits and leave within an hour or two.

Only one animal that gets into a chimney can get out on its own, that's a raccoon. All other creatures will need to be helped out. How can you tell what kind of animal it is? If you haven't seen it, you must identify it by sound. Bang on the damper door and see what response you get: Fluttering and flapping is bird's wings; scratching and squeaking is a squirrel; grunting, or, in the case of babies, high-pitched trilling means raccoons.

First, decide whether the animal's presence really poses a problem for you. If not, leave it alone. If you really believe it does, you will need to determine where the animal's entry point. Once the entry point has been found, you will need three things: a bright light such as a mechanic's trouble light, a radio and some type of safe repellent, such as ammonia-soaked rags. Shine the light and place the radio under the deck or outside the animal's entrance.

Wildlife animal evictions and service requests can be reported to On Target Wildlife Control by calling 630-582-3082. All domestic animals impounded are boarded at Golf Rose Boarding Kennel, 1375 Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL, 847-885-2122.

We pick up dead wildlife 7 days a week. There is a charge of $40 for small wild animals under 50 lbs., such as raccoons, opossums, skunks and squirrels. The charge for wild animals over 50 lbs., such as deer is $75. In order to arrange for a pick-up, call the front office at (415) 883-4621 during regular business hours.

The short, and most correct, answer is NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! The reasons for this are many. Here are a few: Possible exposure to disease: You may already have pet herps, or other pets in general. Bringing in an animal from the outside can be hazardous to both your current captives, in the event they contract something from the newcomer, and to the new arrival, because it can get sick from something your current pets already have (though they may not be affected by it).

It is illegal to collect tortoises from the wild. Wild tortoises will often hiss and urinate on you if handled. Tortoises naturally occur on the lower slopes of mountain foothills, in fairly rocky terrain. If you determine that the animal you found is wild, within 24 hrs. return it to a safe location close to where you found it. If it has been removed for a longer period of time, you must contact the local Game & Fish office (628-5376).

If you know the common name of the plant, animal or bird, simply use the quick search button from the MountainNature.com home page. This will quickly bring you to a drop-down list allowing you to select the desired name. A quick click will bring you the the species page. Each section has numerous other key methods, so for more detailed keying head to the relevant sections home page.