Lost, found or injured animals
If you find a pet or wildlife that looks lost, then please stop to help if you can.
If the animal is injured and you can transport it please take it to your nearest vet clinic straightaway. New Zealand vets are required by law to treat injured wildlife so if you find an injured bird or any other wildlife, please take them there too.
If the animal is not injured and you can keep it safe, then please look after the animal and do the following:
Check the local area to make sure no one is searching for the animal nearby. If there are houses nearby and you can, you could try knocking on some doors to see if anyone has lost a pet.Take the animal to your local vet or animal shelter to be scanned for a microchip. If it has a microchip which is registered it should contain the owner's contact details
Check online avenues like Facebook (check local community groups or lost and found pet pages), TradeMe and lostpet.co.nz to see if the animal has been reported missing
Make your own post on Facebook or lostpet saying you have found the animal. Pictures are helpful if you can take them. Be sure to try and confirm that the you have the genuine owner before you give the animal over