Indiana DNR’s Sick or Dead Wildlife Reporting System collects information about wildlife that appear sick or appear to have died without an apparent cause. Please do not use this form to report animals that have died of an apparent cause, such as predation, roadkill, or window collisions. Occasionally, biologists may use the information to collect samples. Reports may not be immediately reviewed by a biologist. Reports are added to a database that tracks trends over time and helps detect disease outbreaks.
- What to report
Our Wildlife Health Team is especially interested in the following; however, even reports of incidents involving common species and single animals are useful to help us understand baseline levels of sickness and death in wildlife populations.
- Recurring deaths of animals in the same location over a period of time.
- Individual deer with signs that may indicate chronic wasting disease (CWD), such as emaciation, exhibiting abnormal behavior such as staggering or standing with poor posture, salivating excessively, or carrying their head and ears lower than normal.
- Individual deer with signs that may indicate Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (death in or near water, loss of appetite and wariness, swelling around the head and neck, increased respiration rate, excessive salivation, rosy or bluish color of mouth and tongue).
- Incidents involving threatened or endangered species, regardless of the cause of death or the number of animals involved.
However, even reports of incidents involving common species and single animals are useful for understanding baseline levels of sickness and death in wildlife populations.
- Don't report domesticated fowl
- Don’t request removal of dead animals
- Don’t report orphaned and injured animals
- Don’t report deaths from rehabilitators or animal control services