Found an injured mole? Then of course you should help him. If the mole is healthy and not endangered, things are very different. Below we explain how to act correctly when you find a healthy or sick mole.

A mole may only be taken from the wild if it is sick, injured, or otherwise in need of help

The mole under nature protection

According to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance (BArtSchV), the mole is one of the particularly protected animal species. As a result, it is forbidden to kill, capture or even take him out of his environment:

"It is forbidden to … pursue wild animals of specially protected species, to catch, injure or kill them or to remove, damage or destroy their development forms from nature …" (BNatSchG § 44)

What does that mean for you?

If you find a healthy mole in your yard that just happens to be strolling across your lawn, do not remove that mole from its habitat. You should only touch and care for moles when they need help. This is the case if:

  • the mole lies cold in the garden in winter,
  • the mole is injured or sick,
  • you find a baby mole without a mother,
  • the mole lies in your meadow for a long time during the day and shows no signs of withdrawing.

What to do if an injured or sick mole is found?

It's always better to take an injured or sick mole straight to the vet. If the animal was attacked by a cat or other predator, it needs urgent medical care. If you need immediate help because the vet is closed or too far away, do the following:

  1. Check the animal for parasites such as maggots or fly eggs and use tweezers to remove them.
  2. If the animal is hypothermic, warm it up with a hot water bottle or a cherry pit pillow. Do not use red light!
  3. Moles need to eat all the time. Even half a day without food can mean their death. Therefore, feed the found mole with spiders, larvae, mealworms or similar. Moles are carnivores! Do not feed the animal until it has warmed up!
  4. Place the mole in a box or bucket with enough sand or soil for it to burrow. Alternatively, you can temporarily wrap him in a towel that will protect him from light.

What to do if I found a baby mole?

Moles are only independent from the eighth week of life. Only in the third week do they open their eyes. If a young mole is abandoned by its mother during this time, it urgently needs help. Before you take the animal in, you should make sure that it has really been abandoned. So wait up to two hours before intervening.
Going to the vet is also the best choice when you find a baby mole. You can provide first aid by warming up the animal and then feeding it watery fennel tea using a syringe.

tips

Never give found moles food or water if they are hypothermic! First warm up the animals and then offer them food.

Category:

Animals in the garden