Bill to allow Alabamians to rescue wildlife fails in the Alabama House of Representatives

May 6, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL.– Legislation that would have made it legal for Alabama citizens to provide emergency assistance to injured, wounded, or orphaned wild animals was defeated when it did not come up for consideration by the Alabama House of Representatives. At the end of Tuesday's legislative day the Alabama House of Representatives passed a motion "to indefinitely postpone" all House bills that had not already passed in the House. With time running out on the 2025 Alabama regular legislative session there simply was not enough time left in the session for any bill to bass both Houses before the session expires.

The Alabama Good Samaritan Wildlife Rehabilitation Act is strongly opposed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and apparently legislators were too intimidated by ADC&NR to risk defying them on this issue.

ADCNR believes that if a animal is injured or orphaned then it is it's destiny to die and that interfering with natural selection comes with great risks to both wildlife and the public.

The Alabama Good Samaritan Wildlife Rehabilitation Act was endorsed by the Alabama Wildlife Conservation and Rehabilitation Society (AWCRS), North Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitators, and Alabama NEEDS Wildlife Rehabbers.

House Bill 448 (HB448) was sponsored by State Representative Ben Harrison (R- Athens).

Supporters claim that the Alabama Good Samaritan Wildlife Rehabilitation Act would have been a significant improvement in how injured or orphaned wildlife are cared for across the state.

HB448 would have allowed individuals to "in good faith provide care or treatment to sustain life or reduce disability to any injured, orphaned, or debilitated wild bird or animal that is not federally protected or otherwise endangered so that the organism may be returned to the wild."

Since 2013, ADCNR)has implemented policies that severely restrict the rehabilitation of certain species and making rabies vector species (raccoons, coyotes, skunks, foxes and bats) illegal altogether. The banning of the rabies vector species, even goes beyond Federal government suggestions.

This issue drew national and international attention recently when New York authorities seized You Tube star - rescue squirrel Peanut and his animal companion, Rocky the Raccoon, and executed them – because they could.

Over 12,000 people have signed a petition urging legislative action to protect Alabama wildlife and reform current laws.

Advocates point to a statewide poll conducted in February 2025 that found that 66% of Alabamians support legislation that allows individual citizens to care for orphaned or injured animals. While 20% said they don't care one way or the other. Only 14% said that they oppose the idea.

Unless a special session is called by the Governor, this issue is effectively dead for the remainder of 2025.

To address this issue, this or similar legislation will then have to be introduced in the 2026 Alabama regular legislative session.

Wednesday will be day 30 – and the final day – of the 2025 Alabama regular legislative session.