No Wild Pets

It's illegal to keep wildlife as pets.  Most wild animals are protected under state and federal laws and cannot be taken from the wild or possessed by unauthorized citizens. Raising a wild animal as a pet is not only against laws and regulations, but it is not doing the right thing for the animal. Wisconsin's captive wildlife regulations allow a citizen to possess a wild animal for up to 24 hours for the purpose of transferring that animal to an appropriately licensed individual, such as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian. Even though wild animals are cute, they should not be viewed as pets.

When people have tried to raise wild animals on their own, the human impact damage is already done. Often it is too late to return these animals to the wild where they belong. If you find an orphaned wild animal, please contact NWC, or your local wildlife rehabilitation organization right away. Please do not wait days, weeks, or months.