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Quick access to wildlife rescue phone numbers and guidance for residents and visitors in Massachusetts.
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Emergency wildlife help · Nantucket

Nantucket Wildlife Rescue Numbers

Found a seal on the beach, an entangled marine animal offshore, an injured bird in town, or a deer in trouble on Nantucket? Use the right number first, keep your distance, and call before you try to move the animal. This page is built around the situations people actually run into on island beaches, moors, roads, yards, and harbor edges.
Seals & dolphins
Entanglements
Birds & small wildlife
What to do first

Wildlife on Nantucket

Nantucket rescue calls have an island pattern. Beaches, dunes, moors, ponds, harbor areas, and dense summer foot traffic mean people often encounter resting seals, grounded seabirds, fledgling songbirds, rabbits, deer, gulls, terns, and other wildlife in open places where crowding becomes part of the problem. Not every animal lying still needs rescue, but the right call can prevent a normal situation from turning into a bad one.

The biggest mistakes are getting too close, trying to give food or water, pushing marine mammals back into the ocean, or assuming any young animal alone is abandoned. The clearest reasons to call right away are visible injury, fishing line or gear entanglement, inability to stand or fly, collision with a vehicle or window, repeated disturbance from dogs or people, or a marine animal stranded where it cannot safely leave on its own.

Nantucket wildlife calls often start on beaches, at access paths, along road shoulders, near ponds, or around harbor areas, where marine animals, shorebirds, deer, and small mammals cross paths with people.

Key wildlife rescue numbers for Nantucket

Start with the contact that matches the animal in front of you. On Nantucket, a hauled-out seal, an entangled whale, an injured deer, and a gull with fishing line are not the same call.
Marine mammals on the beach

Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket

Best first call for seals, dolphins, whales, porpoises, or other marine mammals that are ashore, injured, sick, dead, or drawing a crowd on Nantucket, Tuckernuck, or Muskeget. Their local team can tell you whether the animal is resting normally, needs monitoring, or needs an active response.

  • Hotline: 833‑667‑6626
  • Use for: seals on the beach, stranded dolphins, dead marine mammals, distressed marine animals.
  • Helpful detail: exact beach access or marker number, photos, and whether dogs or people are nearby.
Entangled marine animal

NOAA Northeast Hotline

Use this if the animal is in the water or clearly trailing fishing gear, rope, netting, or line. On Nantucket, this is especially relevant for whales, dolphins, and other marine animals seen offshore or just beyond the surf line. Call MMAN as well if the animal is close to shore around Nantucket.

  • Hotline: 866‑755‑6622
  • Use for: entangled whales, dolphins, seals, or sea turtles.
  • Safety: do not approach in a boat, do not cut gear, and keep visual contact if you can do so safely.
State wildlife guidance

MassWildlife

Good first backup when the animal is not a marine mammal and you need wildlife guidance, a referral, or advice on a species-specific situation. This is the most useful statewide line when local island resources are limited or when you are unsure who is supposed to handle the case.

  • Phone: 508‑389‑6300
  • Use for: birds, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, foxes, turtles, and referral questions.
  • Useful when: you need the next correct step, not a guess.
Island animal welfare referral

Nantucket Safe Harbor for Animals

Local shelter contact that can often help callers sort out what kind of animal they have found, whether the issue is wildlife or domestic, and where the call should go next. On an island, that first local answer can save time.

  • Phone: 508‑825‑2287 ext. 1
  • Address: 11 Crooked Lane, Nantucket, MA 02554.
  • Useful for: local referral help when the situation is unclear.
Veterinary triage

Offshore Animal Hospital

Veterinary clinic that may be able to advise on immediate next steps or provide limited triage guidance. Always call first. Wildlife cases are not handled the same way as domestic animals, and the clinic may tell you to wait, box the animal, or route the case elsewhere.

  • Phone: 508‑228‑1491
  • Address: 11 Crooked Lane, Nantucket, MA 02554.
  • Best for: urgent guidance when a bird or small animal is clearly injured and you need same-day direction.
Deer & public safety

Massachusetts Environmental Police

Use this for injured deer, large wildlife causing a public safety problem, road hazards involving wild animals, or another wildlife situation that has moved beyond observation and into immediate risk.

  • 24-hour line: 1‑800‑632‑8075
  • Use for: injured deer, active roadway hazards, or urgent island public safety situations involving wildlife.
  • Also contact local emergency services if people are in immediate danger.
Marine mammals: 833‑667‑6626
Entanglement: 866‑755‑6622
Wildlife backup: 508‑389‑6300
Deer / safety: 1‑800‑632‑8075

Other wildlife regions in Massachusetts

If the animal is not actually on Nantucket, use the closest mainland or island region instead. Ferry routes and off-island transport can change which contact is most practical.
Greater Boston North Shore South Shore Central MA Western MA Cape Cod Martha’s Vineyard

If the case may need ferry transport or an off-island referral, checking the nearest mainland region can help you reach the next viable contact faster.

Who to call first and what to do before you intervene

Nantucket cases move faster when the first call is right. Use the quick match below, then follow the basic steps before you touch anything.

Call MMAN first

Seal on the beach. Dolphin or porpoise ashore. Whale, seal, or dolphin that looks injured, tangled, or dead on Nantucket beaches.

Stay back about 150 feet when possible, leash dogs, do not pour water on the animal, and do not push it back into the ocean.

Call NOAA and MMAN

Whale, dolphin, seal, or sea turtle with rope, netting, trap gear, or line attached, especially if the animal is in the water or moving offshore.

Do not cut the line, do not approach closely, and do not try to handle the gear yourself.

Call Environmental Police first

Injured deer, large wild animal creating a road hazard, or a wildlife situation on Nantucket that has become an immediate public safety problem.

Do not try to drag, chase, or load an adult deer into a vehicle.

Call MassWildlife, NiSHA, or the vet first

Bird with a drooping wing, rabbit caught by a cat, gull wrapped in fishing line, owl hit by a car, bat in a human exposure situation, or a small wild animal that is clearly weak, cold, or injured.

Call before transport. The right response depends on species, injury, and whether the animal can legally be held or moved.

Before you dial: keep children and pets away, watch from a distance for a minute or two, note the exact place, and describe what the animal is doing rather than guessing what is wrong. On Nantucket, beach marker numbers, access paths, dropped map pins, and photos are especially useful because responders may need to travel some distance to reach the site.

Usually call now: hit by car, visible wound, bleeding, tangled in fishing line, bird unable to stand or fly, animal circling or seizing, marine mammal with gear attached, dolphin or whale stranded on shore, dead marine mammal on the beach, injured deer, or any animal in direct danger from traffic, dogs, surf, or heavy foot traffic.

Usually watch first: seal hauled out quietly above the tide line, fledgling bird hopping under shrubs, rabbit nest in grass, fawn curled alone and quiet, or a young bird on open ground with adults nearby. These can be normal island situations. Call if the animal is clearly weak, injured, repeatedly disturbed, or still exposed in the same spot after a long interval.

While waiting for a callback: do not feed the animal, do not give water by mouth, do not let people gather around it, and do not keep walking up for a closer look. If a responder tells you to contain a bird or small mammal, use a towel and a ventilated cardboard box, keep the box dark and quiet, and keep it away from pets, children, heat, and direct sun.

FAQ: Nantucket wildlife rescue

Short answers for the island situations people most often run into on beaches, roads, harbor areas, and residential yards.

Is a seal on the beach always an emergency?

No. Seals often haul out on Nantucket beaches to rest. A quiet seal above the tide line may be behaving normally. Stay well back, keep dogs away, and call Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket if the seal appears injured, tangled, bleeding, extremely thin, or is being disturbed by people.

What details help most when I report a marine mammal?

Tell responders whether the animal is alive or dead, the exact beach or access point, whether fishing gear is attached, whether the tide is rising around it, and whether dogs or crowds are nearby. Photos and a dropped map pin can save time on an island where responders may need to travel to a specific access point.

Who should I call for an injured deer on Nantucket?

Call the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Do not try to move or transport an adult deer yourself. Deer situations can quickly become dangerous for both people and the animal, especially near roads or in fenced residential areas.

Can I take injured wildlife straight to a vet?

Call first. A local veterinary clinic may be able to advise or provide limited triage, but wildlife often needs routing through a state agency, marine mammal responder, or licensed rehabilitator. Showing up unannounced with a wild animal can slow things down rather than help.

What if I find a baby bird or rabbit alone?

Many young animals are left alone for normal periods while parents return to feed them. Watch first unless the animal is visibly injured, cold, weak, caught by a cat, or in immediate danger from traffic, dogs, people, or lawn equipment. When in doubt, call before picking it up.