Texas Parks and Wildlife requires a Wildlife Rehabilitator Permit before anyone in Dallas may possess injured or orphaned wildlife. Residents finding wildlife should contact DFW Wildlife Coalition or a permitted rehabilitator rather than caring for animals themselves.
Under Texas Parks and Wildlife Code and 31 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 69, possessing native wildlife for rehabilitation requires a state Wildlife Rehabilitator Permit. Applicants pass a written exam, secure veterinarian sponsorship, demonstrate proper caging, and accept inspections. Migratory birds and federally protected species also require a federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit. Dallas residents who find injured songbirds, raptors, opossums, squirrels, fawns, or bats should call the DFW Wildlife Coalition hotline rather than transporting animals home, which is illegal beyond brief stabilization. Dallas Animal Services accepts injured wildlife and routes animals to permitted rehabilitators. Possession exceeding 48 hours without a permit triggers state enforcement.
Keeping native wildlife for rehabilitation without a Texas Parks and Wildlife permit, possessing migratory birds without federal authorization, exceeding 48-hour temporary holding rules, or releasing rehabilitated animals outside approved zones triggers state and federal penalties.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Animal Services follows a hazing-first coyote management policy. Texas Parks and Wildlife classifies coyotes as nongame; residents may legally haze co...
Dallas, TX
Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 64 protect almost all wild birds in Dallas. Killing, capturing, possessing, or di...
Dallas, TX
Dallas does not have a specific citywide ordinance prohibiting wildlife feeding. Dallas City Code Chapter 32 (Parks) restricts certain activities in parks, a...
See how Dallas's wildlife rescue permits rules stack up against other locations.
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