WHO TO CONTACT FOR A WILDLIFE EMERGENCY:
Please dial (910) 457-0089- you will be asked to press 5 for a wildlife emergency
Call the BHI Conservancy if you encounter any injured or stranded animal on the island (sea turtles, birds, mammals, etc.). Be sure to leave a voicemail, so we can return your call ASAP! If there is not an answer on the wildlife emergency hotline, please call the following staff members in this order:
Jaymie Reneker: Sea Turtle Program Coordinator, permanent, seasonal. (910) 338-0923 or (910) 457-9824
Patrick Amico: Conservation Biologist, permanent, full-time. (910) 338-0942
Kendyll Collins: Environmental Educator/Outreach Coordinator; permanent, full-time. (910) 338-0930
Tracey Ritchie: Director of Education; permanent, full-time. (910) 338-1706
Tom Hancock: Director of Conservation; permanent, full-time. (910) 338-0938
Suzanne Dorsey: Executive Director; permanent, full-time. (910) 338-0910
Turtle Central Gift Shop: (910) 457-0917, open 7 days a week from 10AM-5PM
If you can’t reach anyone listed above in a timely manner (10-15 minutes) or voicemails aren’t returned quickly, please go ahead and contact the following entities as appropriate based on the type of stranding:
SEA TURTLE STRANDING:
Contact BHI Conservancy staff first. Call (910) 457-0089 and press "5."
if no one is available in a timely manner, contact officials below:
Jean Beasley at the Topsail Sea Turtle Hospital: (910) 328-3377
Matthew Godfrey - Sea Turtle Program Coordinator for NC WRC - Cell Phone: (252) 728-1528
Stranding Emergency Number: (252) 241-7367
Please note it is illegal to take any part of a sea turtle, dead or alive, from the beach.
MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING (DEAD OR ALIVE):
Contact BHI Conservancy staff first. Call (910) 457-0089 and press "5."
BHI Conservancy staff will contact the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
Tel: (910) 962-7266 – Bill McLellan or Ann Pabst @ UNCW
Cell: (910) 264-9816 (Bill McLellan)
Please have the following information ready to report:
1) Exact location and directions to the stranding site
2) Number of animals involved
3) Condition of animal (alive, dead, or injured)
4) Identification or description of animal (size, color, etc.)
5) Names and telephone numbers of people involved
6) Date and time of your observations
INJURED BIRD STRANDING:
The BHI Conservancy works closely with Mary Ellen Rogers of Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter
Remain quiet if you encounter an injured bird on the beach. Do not handle the bird on your own. Call the BHI Conservancy wildlife emergency hotline (910) 457-0089 and press "5." Be sure to report your exact location.
Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter
Phone: (910) 278-7871 or cell (910) 294-2555
Where: 1600 Block of East Beach Road, Oak Island, NC
What: Only federally permitted bird rescue and rehabilitation facility between Charleston and Morehead City; we would have to deliver bird to her
Deatsch Small Mammal Shelter
Phone: (910) 465- 3272
Where: Oak Island, NC
The BHI Conservancy will arrange transportation of injured small mammals.
