Cape Cod Wildlife Rescue Numbers
Wildlife on Cape Cod
Cape Cod has a different rescue pattern than inland Massachusetts. Beaches, dunes, salt marshes, ponds, and wooded neighborhoods bring people into contact with gulls, terns, shorebirds, seals, sea turtles, rabbits, raccoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes, owls, hawks, and migratory songbirds. Many reports come from parking lots near beaches, roadside shoulders, marina areas, and backyards where wildlife is moving between habitat patches.
The most common mistake is intervening too early. A young shorebird on open sand, a fledgling under a shrub, or a seal resting above the tide line may look vulnerable without actually needing rescue. The clearest reasons to call right away are visible injury, fishing line or net entanglement, inability to stand or fly, collision with a car or window, repeated dog or crowd disturbance, or a marine animal stranded where it cannot safely leave on its own.
Key wildlife rescue numbers for Cape Cod
Cape Wildlife Center
Best first call for many injured birds, small mammals, turtles, and other wild animals found on the Upper and Mid-Cape. Call before transport so staff can tell you whether the animal should stay in place, be boxed, or be routed elsewhere.
- Wildlife hotline: 508‑362‑0111
- After-hours emergency: 617‑835‑6845
- Location: West Barnstable.
Wild Care Cape Cod
Strong option for injured, orphaned, or exhausted wildlife on the Lower and Outer Cape, especially birds found on beaches, roadsides, yards, and marsh edges. Their helpline is also useful when you are unsure whether the animal truly needs intervention.
- Wildlife helpline: 508‑240‑2255
- Location: Eastham.
- Useful for: birds, rabbits, squirrels, turtles, and general wildlife questions.
IFAW Marine Mammal Rescue
Use this number for live or dead stranded seals, dolphins, and whales on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts. Do not push the animal back into the water. Stay well back, keep dogs away, and report the exact beach access or landmark.
- Hotline: 508‑743‑9548
- Use for: stranded or injured marine mammals only.
- Safety: stay at least 150 feet away whenever possible.
Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay
Use this line if you find a sea turtle on a Cape Cod beach. Do not return it to the water. If it is safe, move it above the high tide line, cover it with seaweed or wrack rather than sand, mark the location clearly, and call for instructions.
- Hotline: 508‑349‑2615, Option 2
- Use for: sea turtles on the beach or in obvious distress.
- Best detail to report: exact beach access point and tide position.
MassWildlife
Good backup when you need a referral, when local lines are full, or when the animal involves species handled more tightly by the state, such as coyotes, bobcats, fishers, otters, or beavers. They also help with guidance after possible rabies exposure or unusual wildlife situations.
- Phone: 508‑389‑6300
- State office guidance and rehabilitator referrals.
- Useful for: species questions, referrals, and statewide advice.
Massachusetts Environmental Police
Use this when the situation is not just a rescue issue but a live safety problem: an animal causing a roadway hazard, a large wild animal in a dense public area, or another wildlife emergency that needs a 24-hour state dispatch line.
- 24-hour dispatch: 1‑800‑632‑8075
- Use for: urgent public safety and enforcement situations.
- Still call local emergency services if there is immediate danger to people or traffic.
Other wildlife regions in Massachusetts
If you are near a bridge, ferry terminal, or a town line, checking two nearby regions can save time. Some rehabilitators accept animals from more than one service area.
Who to call first and what to do before you intervene
Call IFAW first
Seal on the beach. Dolphin in shallow water. Whale or porpoise stranded. Dead marine mammal on shore.
Stand back, leash dogs, do not pour water on the animal, and do not push it into the ocean.
Call Wellfleet Bay first
Sea turtle on the beach, especially in cold weather, after a storm, or near the wrack line.
Do not put the turtle back in the water. If safe, move it above the tide line and cover it with seaweed or wrack.
Call Cape Wildlife Center or Wild Care first
Bird with a drooping wing, gull caught in line, hawk hit by a car, rabbit with a cat bite, baby animal that is cold, weak, or lying in the open for a long time.
Call before transport. The right container and timing depend on species and injury.
Call MassWildlife or Environmental Police
Possible rabies exposure, coyote or other large wild animal in a public safety situation, animal creating a traffic hazard, or a species case that local rehab lines cannot take.
If people are at immediate risk, contact local emergency services as well.
Before you dial: keep children and pets away, watch from a distance for one or two minutes, note the exact location, and describe what the animal is doing rather than guessing what is wrong. “Cannot stand,” “wing hanging,” “bleeding from the mouth,” “tangled in fishing line,” or “lying still while people pass within a few feet” is more useful than “looks sick.”
Usually call now: hit by car, visible wound, bleeding, trapped in netting or fishing line, bird unable to fly, animal rolling or circling, marine mammal stranded above the tide line, sea turtle on the beach, or any animal in direct danger from traffic, dogs, or crowds.
Usually watch first: fledgling songbird hopping under nearby shrubs, rabbit nest in grass, fawn curled alone and quiet, shorebird chick moving on the sand with adults nearby, or a seal resting quietly high on the beach. These situations can be normal, but call if the animal is clearly weak, injured, repeatedly disturbed, or still in the same exposed spot after a long interval.
While waiting for a callback: do not feed the animal, do not give water by mouth, do not post a crowd around it, and do not keep checking it every minute. Stress alone can worsen the situation. If a rehabilitator tells you to contain the animal, use a towel and a ventilated cardboard box, keep the box dark and quiet, and keep it away from pets and children.
FAQ: Cape Cod wildlife rescue
Is a seal on the beach always in trouble?
No. Seals often haul out to rest. A quiet seal above the tide line may be behaving normally. Stay well back, keep dogs away, and do not try to move it. Call IFAW if the seal appears injured, tangled, bleeding, very thin, or is being harassed by people.
What should I do if I find a sea turtle on a Cape Cod beach?
Do not put it back into the water. If it is safe to approach, move it above the high tide line, cover it with seaweed or wrack instead of sand, mark the location clearly, and call Wellfleet Bay at 508‑349‑2615, Option 2.
What if I find a baby shorebird or seabird on the sand?
Many beach-nesting birds and fledglings spend time on the ground while adults remain nearby. Watch first from a distance. Call a wildlife rehabilitator if the bird is cold, weak, obviously injured, tangled in fishing line, or exposed to repeated disturbance from dogs, people, or vehicles.
Can I pick up an injured gull, duck, or rabbit myself?
Only if a wildlife professional tells you to, or if the animal is in immediate danger and you can act safely. A towel and a ventilated cardboard box are usually better than a wire cage or open container. Keep the animal dark, quiet, and away from pets. Do not offer food or water.
What if there was contact with a bat or another animal that could carry rabies?
If there was a bite, scratch, or saliva contact with eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin, contact a medical professional or local health department promptly and report the situation to MassWildlife. Do not release the animal if authorities may need it for testing.
Is it normal to find a young rabbit or fawn alone?
Yes, often it is normal. Young cottontails and fawns are commonly left hidden while the mother feeds elsewhere. If the animal is warm, quiet, and not visibly injured, observation is usually better than intervention.