Minnesota Administrative Rules
Agency 158 - Natural Resources Department
Chapter 6244 - CAPTIVE WILDLIFE
REHABILITATION STANDARDS
Part 6244.0800 - GENERAL PROVISIONS GOVERNING WILDLIFE REHABILITATION

A. Permittees may capture orphaned, sick, or injured animals themselves or receive animals from others for purposes of rehabilitation.

B. Permittees may not import or accept animals for rehabilitation from outside Minnesota, except as allowed by the commissioner.

C. The commissioner shall be notified immediately of the receipt of a threatened or endangered species by a permittee.

A. Animals being rehabilitated shall have contact with the permittee or designated in-shelter assistants only to the extent necessary for adequate care and treatment. Under no circumstances shall animals be habituated to humans, tamed, used as pets, or used in inappropriate ways. The separation of facilities from humans is contained in parts 6244.0300 and 6244.0900, subpart 1.

B. Mammals being rehabilitated may be housed only with others of the same species.

C. Public exhibition of animals being rehabilitated is prohibited, except as provided in subpart 4, item B.

D. Transfers of animals being rehabilitated may be made to the same level or to higher level permit holders and, in the case of master permit holders, to lower level permit holders, when:

E. Costs incurred by the permittee for rehabilitation activities shall be the responsibility of the permittee only. Permittees may not charge a fee for rehabilitating animals. The provisions of this item do not apply to licensed veterinarians.

F. Permittees may not delegate to others the authority granted by their permit except that permittees may designate others as in-shelter assistants as described in parts 6244.0300, subpart 11, and 6244.0410 to assist with the care and feeding of animals on the premises of the permittee and under the direct supervision of the permittee. Treatment of injured and sick animals may not be delegated to other persons.

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

B. Rehabilitated animals are not to be transported across state lines for release or for any other purposes unless expressly authorized by the commissioner.

C. When authorized by the commissioner, animals that are not sufficiently recovered from injuries or illnesses, or are not otherwise ready for release prior to the onset of cold weather in the fall, may be kept over winter and released in the spring.

A. When, in the judgment of the permittee, and on advice of the permittee's master class advisor or veterinarian consultant, an injured, sick, or orphaned animal is incapable of surviving if released to the wild, the animal must be:

B. Use of nonreleasable animals for scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes is allowed only under separate permit from the commissioner.

C. Euthanizing shall be done by the most humane means possible by either the permittee or veterinarian consultant and only by methods specifically prescribed by the veterinarian consultant according to criteria established by the American Veterinary Medical Association or the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.

D. Except where it is necessary to relieve immediate pain, and in cases where recovery is highly unlikely, threatened or endangered species may be euthanized only on express approval of the commissioner.

E. Animals that die of natural causes or that are euthanized must be buried, incinerated, rendered, or turned over to a person or institution that possesses a valid salvage permit from the department and, in the case of migratory birds, a valid federal salvage permit. Threatened or endangered species or any parts thereof shall be disposed of only at the direction of the commissioner.

F. Live or dead animals or any parts thereof shall not be sold, bartered, or given away.