Animal in Distress

The municipality of Moerdijk collaborates with the Breda Animal Shelter. What should you do if you find a sick or injured (pet) animal? 

• Call (076) 57 12 712 Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Is the animal shelter closed? Call the police dispatch center at (0900) 88 44 (after 10 p.m., for emergencies only).

Dead animals are picked up by the municipality. To request this service, call 14 0168.

Help Yourself

You can often take sick or injured animals to a shelter yourself. Sick hedgehogs are welcome at the Roosendaal Hedgehog Rescue Foundation or at VRC Zundert. You can also bring an injured or sick bird to VRC in Zundert. Pick up the animal, using a cloth if necessary. Place it in a box that isn’t too large, with some newspaper on the bottom. Close the box with a lid and poke a few air holes in it. Above all, ensure the bird has peace and quiet: contact with people causes a lot of stress for a bird, and severe stress can be fatal.

To intervene or not?

Young birds may sometimes seem helpless, but they are by no means always so. For example, it’s normal for young birds that have feathers but cannot fly well yet to hide on the ground. Their parents continue to feed them during this period. So don’t intervene if you see a young bird like this. Birds that do need help include:

• A bird that flew into the window and has not recovered after several hours.
• A bird that is clearly injured
• A nest of young birds that has fallen to the ground, for example, after a storm
• Ducklings that have been left behind after their mother duck has died.

You can recognize birds that are overheated by their lethargy and the fact that they are often panting with their beaks open. The bird will often fluff out its feathers to cool off. You can help the birds during hot weather by placing a small bowl of fresh, clean water—of course, in a spot where cats and dogs can’t reach it.