BOOKS: Care of the Wild: First Aid for Wild Creatures
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:
Care of the Wild: First Aid for Wild
Creatures. By William J. Jordan and John
H u g h e s . University of Wisconsin Press (114 N.
Murray St., Madison, WI 53715). 1992. 225 pages.
$11.95 paper; $27.50 cloth.
I’ve never read Care of the Wild all the way
through. I probably should. There are pages of my battered
old 1983 edition that I’ve never read––and pages I’ve read
aloud over the telephone or photocopied many times while
fielding desperate calls from people who have found an
injured this or that and don’t know what to do. Simply put,
Care of the Wild is an invaluable desk reference for anyone
who may encounter wildlife in need of help: wildlife reha-
bilitators, animal control officers, humane societies; any-
one who notices and cares. First published in England, it is
now expanded and updated to more thoroughly cover North
American wildlife, but it did a fairly good job before: I’ve
used it to help other people help opossums, raccoons,
songbirds, rabbits, and deer––who are only a handful of
the species discussed. Care of the Wild won’t replace your
veterinarian, but it will tell you when to call the vet, and
what to do before and afterward.
––Merritt Clifton