Found Animal Protocol

Found Animal Protocol

So, you found an animal! Maybe in your yard, in the road, or in a public place of some kind….Cool! 

First thing to do is ID the animal to determine if it is a native species or not. If you don’t know or can’t figure it out on your own, you can take a picture and email it to tyler@junglebob.com or text to 631-413-2299.

Most commonly we get people finding Eastern Box Turtles. These are beautiful animals and most people don’t even realize they live here. Unfortunately that means they try to keep them when they find them. This is not only ILLEGAL but it is horrible for the turtle. Any native NY species is ILLEGAL to keep but Box Turtles are protected further as their numbers are declining steadily due to human interference. What makes captivity terrible for them , is they have a built in “homing instinct” and are very familiar with their surroundings. Taking a turtle from its natural habitat and putting in a tank (most of the time a grossly undersized tank with incorrect heat/light and diet) severely disorients the animal and it will constantly try to get back to that location it came from for the rest of its life as it slowly stresses and eventually dies (this can take years and years and is basically torture for the animal). WE ARE LICENSED BY THE STATE TO TAKE IN/ REHABILITATE AND RELEASE NATIVE ANIMALS! If you or someone you know finds a turtle that needs help, or even if they found one years ago and still have it…PLEASE reach out and do the right thing.

If it is a Non Turtle native species, it is still ILLEGAL to keep it! If it does not seem injured in any way it must be released into the wild (Ideally in a safe wooded area away from people). None of the native species in NY will thrive in captivity. It harms the animal and the environment if you try to keep one. 

If it is not a native species, it’s technically fair game to keep it if you want or you can try to find the owner. We would be more than happy to help you set up a new terrarium for the animal and give you all the info needed to care for it properly. If you do not want to keep it, we will gladly take it in and hold it while we try to find the owner. If nobody claims it, we will still hold it to make sure it is healthy and then we can adopt it out to a new home.

-Tyler Smith