Imagine you’re driving down a windy road when you spot an injured possum.

Your instincts might tell you to hit the brakes, check what’s wrong and bundle it into your car.

Research shows many of us want to help wild animals in distress. This may be out of empathy, obligation or simply wanting to do the right thing.

But as Australia rapidly responds to its first cases of H5N1 bird flu, authorities are urging the public to avoid contact with sick or dying wildlife. This conflicts with our innate desire to help.

Our new research shows why “rescuing” a wild animal in distress, despite best intentions, can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.

H5N1 bird flu has finally reached all continents, arriving on Australian shores in June via a sick seabird. As of Thursday, there are 17 confirmed cases in Australia.

This deadly virus is highly infectious and can spread between birds, many mammals and some kinds of livestock, zoo animals and pets. It rarely infects humans.

Since the first H5N1 detection in Australia, authorities have consistently asked the public to “avoid, record and report” any sick or dead animals.

This message seems simple. But it aims to balance a complex mix of factors including public health, animal biosecurity and wildlife conservation.

And it begs the question, should we ever rescue ill or injured wildlife?

Read more: Bird flu is here. Can we stop the spread?

In our new paper, we used several case studies to illustrate how “saving” distressed wildlife........

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