RAMONA, Calif. — The San Diego Humane Society Project Wildlife is on call to rescue animals in the rain but also make sure their animal ambassadors and animals in rehab are taken care of.

Wild animals are resilient in storms, but with the heavy rains in the past couple of weeks, Project Wildlife has had to respond and rescue a few animals.

“Their enclosure is fairly open, they get a lot of the elements that we see day to day. For all of our animals we provide adequate cover, shelter from the rain whether they are ambassador or rehabilitated animals,” said Angela Hernandez-Cusick.

Hernandez-Cusick, the San Diego Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor, said most animals go about their day hunting in the rain, but their behaviors may change.

“During really bad and severe weather is when they tend to hunker down, seek shelter, or limit their activities, such as maybe skipping a meal, maybe moving towards different areas in their territory, or even outside their territory just to seek shelter,” said Hernandez-Cusick.

She also said heavy rain can wash out dens, cause injuries or leave animals stranded.

During the Jan. 22 downpour, SDHS law enforcement and San Diego lifeguards used a boat to rescue a coyote pup — with its head stuck in a plastic jar — from the Tijuana River Valley.

Project Wildlife removed the jar from the coyote’s head and four days later they released him in a dry field near where he was found.

“It actually had no notable injuries. It was completely fine other than being a little thin, most likely from having that bucket on its head for some time,” said Hernandez-Cusick.

Birds have been impacted by the rain, too.

“A little while ago, when there was an injured crow that came into our care, someone found him just in a parking lot. Maybe he was hit by a car because of the winds and the rain, and he’s trying to get out of harm’s way,” said Hernandez-Cusick.

As people clean up from the storm and notice any displaced nests or nestlings, they can try to reunite the families.

“You can always try to put the nest back into the tree. See if mom and dad still come around care for the nestlings. If you don’t see any evidence of that it’s okay to bring them on in,” said Hernandez-Cusick.

If you have any questions about an animal’s health, please contact the San Diego Humane Society before intervening. Call (619) 299-7012 (Press 1).

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