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"The first few minutes are crucial. Knowing what to do, and what not to do, can literally save a life."
You're walking down the street and come across a limping stray dog. You spot a motionless cat on the side of the road. Or someone tells you about an injured animal in your neighborhood. What do you do?
Most people want to help but don't know how. Who should they call? Should they touch the animal? Should they take it to the vet themselves? This confusion wastes precious time, and in animal emergencies, time often makes the difference between life and death.
It is precisely to address this confusion that Hesteka was created: a free mobile application that centralizes all reports of lost, found, or endangered animals in France, with real-time geolocated alerts. This comprehensive guide gives you clear answers, the right actions to take, and shows you how Hesteka transforms your good intentions into genuinely effective action.
Key figures to know
300,000 animals are lost in France each year, and over 100,000 abandonments are recorded each summer in the country. The first 12 hours represent the critical period to maximize the chances of reunion, knowing that the legal holding period in a pound before possible adoption is 8 days.
1. First steps: assess before acting
When you come across an animal in distress, the natural reflex is to rush to help it. This is human, but it is often counterproductive. The first golden rule to remember: observe before intervening.
Assess the situation from a distance
Maintain a distance of at least two meters before any approach. An injured or frightened animal can react unpredictably, even aggressively, not out of malice, but out of pain and intense stress. Take the time to observe several essential elements: Is the animal breathing normally? Can it move? Does it seem conscious and responsive to its environment?
This observation phase, even if quick, allows you to adapt your behavior and avoid unnecessarily putting yourself in danger or worsening the animal's condition through awkward intervention.
If you need to approach or handle the animal
Once the situation has been assessed, if intervention proves necessary, several good practices should be adopted. Wear thick gloves if you have them available; they effectively protect you from bites and scratches, which are common reflexes in an animal in pain. Approach calmly, without sudden movements, speaking softly to reassure it.
If the animal is in distress and presents a risk of biting, you can improvise a makeshift muzzle with a cotton tie or a necktie. Then gently place it in a pierced cardboard box or a transport crate, adding a soft cloth for its comfort. In case of visible hemorrhage, compress the wound firmly with a clean cloth or a compress. For transport, wrap the animal in a blanket flat, never forcing potentially injured limbs.
What you should absolutely not do
⚠️ Some reflexes, although motivated by good intentions, can worsen the animal's situation. Do not give food or water without prior professional advice. Never attempt to treat a fracture or a serious injury yourself. And absolutely do not give any medication intended for human use; some are fatal to animals, even in small doses.
2. Who to call? The right contacts depending on the situation
Once the animal is safe, the essential question becomes: who should be informed next? The answer depends on both the type of animal concerned and the time you find it. But even before calling anyone, the first reflex should be to open Hesteka to immediately report the animal; the alert will be visible within seconds to the entire community around you, in parallel with your phone calls.
For a domestic animal (dog, cat, rabbit, etc.)
As a priority, during business hours, contact your local town hall. It is legally responsible for stray animals in its territory, in accordance with article R.211-11 of the rural code. You can also contact the pound directly, which takes charge of the animal for a legal holding period of 8 working days.
In case of emergency or outside business hours, the veterinarian remains a reliable option: they have a legal obligation to provide emergency care, with the costs being covered by the town hall. The police or gendarmerie can also intervene outside business hours or in cases of immediate danger, as they have means of capturing stray animals. Finally, firefighters can be called if the animal poses a danger to traffic.
For an injured wild animal
Wild animals fall under a completely different procedure than domestic animals. Touching or transporting a wild animal without prior authorization can lead to legal penalties, even with the best intentions.
In this specific case, contact the LPO (League for the Protection of Birds) directly for any injured bird, reachable at 05 46 82 12 34. For wild mammals, you should contact the OFB (French Biodiversity Office, formerly ONCFS). An approved wildlife care center can also be found near you; you can find the one nearest you using the app, and your town hall can generally direct you to the closest facility.
3. Finding the owner: the official steps to follow
The animal is now safe. The next question then arises: how to find its family as quickly as possible? Several official tools exist in France — and Hesteka can significantly speed up the reunion process in addition to these steps.
Check the animal's identification
In France, the law requires that dogs, cats, and ferrets be identified by electronic chip or tattoo. The veterinarian or pound officer can read this chip and consult the National I-CAD File to immediately find the owner's contact details. An unidentified animal legally belongs to no one — this is an additional reason to act quickly to increase the chances of reunion.
The steps to follow quickly
To maximize the chances of reuniting the animal with its family, the first reflex should be to post an announcement on Hesteka with a photo, precise description, and GPS location — this step mobilizes the most people the fastest. In parallel, report the found animal to the town hall or directly to the local pound, consult the I-CAD file if the animal has visible identification, share the alert on social networks and in local groups in your neighborhood, and notify veterinarians, shelters, and animal protection associations located nearby.
The legal period of 8 days
An animal found stray and placed in a pound is kept there for a legal period of 8 working days. After this period, if it has not yet been claimed by its owner, it can be offered for adoption or entrusted to a partner shelter. It is entirely possible to ask to be kept informed of its future — or even to offer to adopt it yourself if an attachment has developed during this period.
4. Hesteka: the tool that mobilizes your neighborhood in real time
The official procedures described above are essential — but they have a structural limitation: they operate in offices, during business hours, within often rigid administrative perimeters. Hesteka, on the other hand, works everywhere, at any time, with the people who actually live near you. This is precisely the raison d'être of the application: to bridge the gap between individual goodwill and effective collective action.
Report in 60 seconds flat
The Hesteka application has been designed to allow posting an alert as quickly as possible: a photo of the animal, a quick description (species, color, presence of a collar, visible chip...), a precise GPS marker on the interactive map — and the alert instantly becomes visible to all Hesteka members in your geographical area, in real time.
What Hesteka concretely allows you to do in an emergency situation
The application centralizes several complementary features designed for efficiency. You can report a lost, found, or endangered animal with a precise GPS location down to the meter, and immediately alert the entire local community through instant push notifications. The interactive map allows you to quickly locate the nearest veterinarians and shelters, while the integrated chat allows you to communicate directly with local members to effectively coordinate on-the-ground searches. Finally, you can share the alert with a single click on all your social networks to amplify its visibility.
And beyond emergencies, Hesteka is also an entire solidarity ecosystem: local missions with partner associations, physical donation collection points at engaged businesses, a reward system that values every action for the animal cause, and a solidarity shop where a portion of the profits is directly donated to associations.
Why the first 12 hours are so crucial
12 hours — that's the critical period during which the chances of finding a lost animal are statistically highest. A dog reported on your street is infinitely more likely to be found quickly if 200 neighbors are simultaneously alerted in real time via Hesteka, rather than if a single person posts an isolated ad on a general forum.
Hesteka and official procedures: the winning combination
It's important to understand that Hesteka does not replace official procedures in any way — on the contrary, it complements them intelligently. While the town hall or pound manages the purely administrative aspect of the case, Hesteka simultaneously mobilizes hundreds of neighbors who may have seen the animal, temporarily taken it in, or can intervene directly on the ground. This is precisely the difference between passive waiting and concrete, rapid action — and that's exactly why Hesteka exists.
Next time, you'll know exactly what to do
Finding an injured or lost animal is, no matter what, a stressful situation. But by applying the right reflexes — assessing the situation without rushing, contacting the right people at the right time, and immediately reporting on Hesteka — you have the power to make a real and concrete difference in that animal's life.
Download Hesteka now. Not necessarily because you'll need it tomorrow. But because the day you do need it, every second will truly count, and you'll be ready.
📲 Download Hesteka for free App Store · Google Play · 100% free
Report · Share · Help - and earn rewards by taking concrete action for animals.
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FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions about injured or lost animals
What should I do if I find an injured dog at night or on the weekend?
Outside regular business hours, contact the municipal police or firefighters, who have the necessary means to safely capture the animal. An on-call veterinarian can also take care of the animal for immediate emergency treatment — the costs incurred will then be paid directly by the relevant town hall. Also, remember to report the animal on Hesteka right away: even at night, members of your community may see the alert and intervene.
Can I keep an injured animal I found at home?
Yes, it is possible, but only after having previously reported the animal to the relevant town hall or pound. Without this essential step, you risk being legally considered an illegal holder of the animal. Once the report has been officially made — and the announcement posted on Hesteka to maximize the chances of finding the owner — you can then request to temporarily house the animal while searches are underway.
How do I know if an animal is microchipped or tattooed?
Only a veterinarian or pound officer has the microchip reader needed to check for electronic identification. A tattoo, on the other hand, is usually visible inside the animal's ear or thigh. If in doubt, the safest reflex is to take the animal to the nearest veterinarian.
What should I do if I find an injured bird or wild animal?
Do not transport it without first contacting the LPO (05 46 82 12 34) if it is a bird, or the OFB if it is a wild mammal. Transporting a wild animal without prior authorization can lead to legal penalties, even with clearly good intentions.
How does Hesteka concretely help find a lost animal?
By allowing you to post a geolocated report in less than a minute, instantly visible to all Hesteka members in your geographical area. Nearby members receive an immediate push notification and can actively intervene on the ground within the first few hours following the disappearance — which statistically prove to be the most crucial for reunions. This is why Hesteka has become, in a few months, the go-to tool for this type of situation in France.
Emergency contacts to keep handy in your phone
For a stray or injured domestic animal, contact your local town hall during business hours. For an emergency outside these hours, 17 (Police / Gendarmerie) remains your best reflex, or 18 (Firefighters) if the animal is in immediate danger. For injured birds and wild animals, the LPO can be reached at 05 46 82 12 34. To identify a microchipped or tattooed animal, i-cad.fr remains the official reference.
And to instantly alert your entire local community, regardless of the day or time: Hesteka, available for free on hesteka.com and on mobile app stores.
