Chapter 12. Wildlife Rehabilitation

The regulations in this chapter are in addition to any requirements imposed by:

This chapter allows for the rehabilitation of orphaned, sick, or injured wildlife to be released into the wild.

In this chapter, the following terms have the meaning indicated.

Terms Defined.

A permit, authorized in accordance with Natural Resources Article, §10-908, Annotated Code of Maryland, is required before a person may rehabilitate wildlife. Under the authority of the permit, a person may capture, receive, possess, transport, or transfer a wild animal to rehabilitate it for release in the wild.

To apply for a permit, an applicant shall:

Expiration and Renewal.

A permittee may renew a permit if the permittee has complied with the requirements of this chapter for:

A person shall notify the Department within 24 hours of the receipt of any species listed as State or federally threatened or endangered.

The permit allowing a person to rehabilitate wildlife may contain other terms and conditions considered appropriate by the Department.

The Department shall issue apprentice and master level permits to allow a person to rehabilitate wildlife upon satisfaction of the requirements of this regulation.

Apprentice Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Master Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Upon application to the Department, the Department shall issue to an individual who holds a permit that allows a person to rehabilitate wildlife before the effective date of this chapter:

Except as provided under §C(2) of this regulation, a permit issued under the authority of this chapter may not be transferred or delegated to another.

Except for a licensed veterinarian, a rehabilitator may not charge a fee to rehabilitate any animal.

An applicant for a permit allowing a person to rehabilitate wildlife shall take a course and pass a test designed by:

For each license period, a master wildlife rehabilitator shall complete 12 hours of continuing education classes or research approved by the Department. The Department shall provide a list of approved activities offered through state or national rehabilitation organizations, veterinary experts in a specialized field, or master rehabilitators to complete this requirement.

A master wildlife rehabilitator may serve as a sponsor for an apprentice wildlife rehabilitator if the individual:

A master rehabilitator may not charge a fee to sponsor an apprentice rehabilitator.

To provide a group of master rehabilitators to serve as sponsors for apprentice level permittees, the Department may issue a provisional permit to an individual qualified under Regulation .04 if that individual agrees to complete the continuing education requirements described in Regulation .06 of this chapter within 1 year of the date the provisional permit is issued.

A Maryland resident licensed to rehabilitate wildlife in another state may be issued a provisional rehabilitation permit if the individual agrees to complete the continuing education requirements under Regulation .06 of this chapter within 1 year of the date the provisional permit is issued.

A licensed veterinarian may serve as a consultant to an apprentice or master class permittee without a permit allowing a person to rehabilitate wildlife.

A licensed veterinarian without a permit allowing a person to rehabilitate wildlife may treat wild animals, protected birds, or protected mammals in the office or clinic if the animals are not kept at the veterinary office or clinic longer than 48 hours.

A licensed veterinarian shall notify the Department within 24 hours if the veterinarian is holding any State or federally listed threatened or endangered species.

A rehabilitator authorized under this chapter shall maintain records on forms provided by the Department. The records shall reflect:

The records shall be updated within 24 hours of the receipt or disposition of an animal.

Except to provide food, water, and exercise for animals, indoor and outdoor facilities, cages, pens, enclosures, and other areas shall be sufficiently separate from domestic animals and human living or work space in order to prevent human contact with the animals.

Animals shall be caged with like species except when:

Facilities.

The temperature in indoor housing facilities shall be regulated by heating or cooling to protect the animals from extremes of temperature, to provide for their health, and to prevent their discomfort. The ambient temperature may not fall below or rise above the temperatures which the animal can tolerate without stress or discomfort.

Indoor facilities shall at all times be adequately ventilated by natural or mechanical means to provide for the health and to prevent discomfort of the animals. The facilities shall be provided with fresh air by means of windows, doors, vents, fans, or air-conditioning, and shall be ventilated to minimize drafts, odors, and moisture condensation.

Indoor facilities shall have ample lighting, by natural or artificial means, or both, of good quality, distribution, and duration as appropriate to the species being rehabilitated. The lighting shall be uniformly distributed and of sufficient intensity to permit routine inspection and cleaning. Lighting of primary enclosures shall be designed to protect the animals from excessive illumination.

When sunlight is likely to cause overheating or discomfort of animals, sufficient shade by natural or artificial means shall be provided to allow animals kept outdoors to protect themselves from direct sunlight.

Natural or artificial shelter appropriate to the local climatic conditions for a species shall be provided for animals kept outdoors to afford sufficient protection and to prevent discomfort. Individual animals shall be acclimated before they are exposed to extremes of weather.

The food provided for the animal shall be wholesome, palatable, free from contamination, and of sufficient quantity and nutritional value to maintain the animal in good health. The diet shall be prepared with consideration for the age, species, condition, size, and type of the animal. Animals shall be fed at least once daily, except during normal hibernation, veterinary treatment, normal fasts, or other professionally accepted practices.

Food receptacles, if used, shall be adequate to provide food in sufficient quantity, accessible to all animals in the enclosure, and placed to minimize contamination. The receptacles shall be kept clean. If self-feeders are used, measures shall be taken to prevent molding, contamination, deterioration, or caking of the food.

If potable water is not accessible to animals at all times, it shall be provided as often as necessary for the health and comfort of the animal.

Animals shall be observed at least once every day by the permittee or by a designated in-shelter assistant working under the rehabilitator's direct supervision.

Excreta shall be removed from primary enclosures as often as necessary to prevent contamination of animals, minimize disease, and reduce odors. When enclosures are cleaned by hosing or flushing, the animals shall be protected from being directly sprayed.

After the presence of an animal with an infectious disease, cages, rooms, and hard surfaced pens or runs shall be sanitized. Sanitized means either washing with hot water and soap or detergent, as in a mechanical washer, or by washing all soiled surfaces with a detergent solution. This procedure shall be followed by a safe and effective disinfectant, or by cleaning all soiled surfaces with saturated live steam under pressure. Pens or runs using gravel, sand, or dirt shall be cleaned when necessary as directed by the veterinary consultant.

Areas in which the animals are housed shall be kept clean to protect the animals from injury and stress. Trash shall be placed in designated areas and cleared as necessary to protect the health of the animals.

A safe and effective program for the control of insects, ectoparasites such as fleas, ticks, and flies, and avian and mammalian pests, shall be established and maintained. The pest control program shall be established and maintained under the supervision of the permittee's veterinarian consultant.

Programs for disease prevention, euthanasia, and adequate veterinary care shall be established and maintained under the supervision of the permittee's veterinarian consultant.

Handling of animals shall be kept to a minimum, but when necessary shall be done expeditiously and carefully to prevent discomfort, behavioral stress, or physical harm to the animal or harm to the handler. Human contact with animals being rehabilitated shall be kept to a minimum.

An animal being rehabilitated may not be publicly exhibited.

Enter and inspect the premises where operation under this chapter occurs; and

Inspect the records associated with activities regulated under this chapter.

The Department may restrict the rehabilitation of certain species of animals, either Statewide or in certain geographic locations, due to disease, overpopulation, or other limiting factors. The permit may be limited to certain species if determined to be in the best interest of the wildlife resource, or upon the request of the applicant.

Coyotes, nutria, deer, and black bear may only be rehabilitated at the discretion of the Wildlife and Heritage Service. Raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats may only be rehabilitated in accordance with the standards set forth in the “Procedures and Guidelines for Wildlife Rehabilitators Who are Authorized to Handle Rabies-Vector Species (RVS)”.

When, in the judgment of the rehabilitator, after discussion with the rehabilitator's veterinarian consultant, an injured or sick animal has sufficiently recovered, or an orphaned animal has matured to the point that it has a reasonable chance to survive in the wild, the animal shall be released immediately in a suitable habitat as near as possible to the point where the animal was captured.

Rehabilitated animals may not be transported across a state line to be released, or for any other purpose, unless prior approval has been obtained from the Department.

If, in the judgment of the rehabilitator, and after discussion with the rehabilitator's veterinarian consultant, an injured, sick, or orphaned animal is incapable of surviving if released to the wild, the animal shall be:

An animal held under the authority of this chapter that is not suitable for release may not be used for scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.

An animal that dies of natural causes, or has been euthanized, shall be:

Threatened or endangered species shall be disposed of after approval for disposition is obtained from the Wildlife and Heritage Service.

Live or dead animals, or any parts of the animals, may not be sold, bartered, or given away except as provided by this regulation.

Euthanizing shall be done by the most humane means possible by a rehabilitator or the rehabilitator's veterinary consultant, and in a manner prescribed by the veterinary consultant. These procedures shall conform to the standards set by the American Veterinary Medicine Association or the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association.

An animal listed as a threatened or endangered species may be euthanized after the rehabilitator has obtained the approval of the Wildlife and Heritage Service if:

The Department may revoke a permit issued under this chapter for a violation of:

If a permit under this chapter is revoked, the Director of the Wildlife and Heritage Service, in the Director's sole discretion, may order confiscation of a member of a species or subspecies of wildlife. The disposition of confiscated members of a species or subspecies is at the discretion of the Director consistent with applicable law.