Indiana DNR Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators

The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to release wildlife back into the wild. Please determine if wildlife is truly sick, orphaned, or injured. If so, please contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator listed below. Permitted wildlife rehabilitators make the final decision on their ability to provide assistance, and are not employed or funded by the Indiana DNR.

Deer found in LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, or DeKalb counties can only be surrendered to a rehabilitator in LaGrange, Steuben, Noble or DeKalb counties that takes in deer. This is a precaution to help prevent the possible spread of chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal infectious disease that affects the nervous system in white-tailed deer. In 2024, Indiana DNR detected the first case in a wild white-tailed deer harvested from LaGrange County, Indiana.

Human-aided movement of fawns can spread this fatal deer disease to new areas of the state. The best way to prevent CWD from spreading to a new area is to limit the movement of deer fawns across the state. Therefore, the Indiana DNR has passed a rule prohibiting white-tailed deer from being moved from the CWD Positive Area (LaGrange, Steuben, DeKalb, and Noble counties) for any purpose.

Fawns can carry CWD without appearing sick and can shed contagious CWD prions into the environment without showing signs of the disease for many years. Moving a fawn from one of these counties to a rehabilitation facility outside this area could lead to the introduction of CWD to a new area of the state, potentially causing undue harm to wild deer. Learn more on our chronic wasting disease webpage. Before contacting a permitted wildlife rehabilitator for assistance, confirm that the deer is truly injured or orphaned. Look for obvious signs of injury, lethargy, constant vocalization, or an infestation of insects. Another reason for contacting a wildlife rehabilitator for assistance is having knowledge that the mother has been killed or hasn’t returned in several days (remembering that the mother may return only at night).

List updated: March 17, 2025

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