blake
Life Member
The following article was writing by State Conservation Officer Brett Reece.
The annual wildlife baby season has begun and well meaning people will be calling me to report wildlife young that appear to have been abandoned. Just about every conservation receives abandoned wildlife reports in the spring from well meaning people. These reports typically are about deer, owls, hawks, etc. The fact is…..wildlife babies should be left in the wild because they are more often than not, not abandoned. People abandoned their children more often than animals do.
When a person finds a young animal that appears abandoned, the parents are often nearby watching that person, waiting for them to leave, so that they may resume caring for their young. A good example of this is seen in birds. It is not unusual for a young bird to leave the nest and for the parents to continue to care for it while is on the ground; this continues until the young bird is able to fend for itself.
When people encounter a newborn fawn, nest of baby cottontails, or fledging baby bird, they often assume that the animals are orphaned and in need of immediate human intervention. The fate of these hapless youngsters is forever sealed as they are promptly “rescued from the wild”.
In most cases, wildlife babies taken from the wild perish soon after capture. Should an animal survive the initial trauma of being captured and confined, it often succumbs more slowly to pneumonia, other diseases, or malnutrition.
Whether they’re adults or young, all species of wildlife have highly specific needs for survival. “Rescuing a baby from its mother” not only shows bad judgment –it is also illegal. Wild animals are protected by state law. Wild birds are protected by both state and federal law.
Observing native birds and mammals in their natural habitat is a unique privilege. Making field notes or obtaining a good photo or two provides an even more lasting memory. But once you’ve done that, leave wildlife babies where they belong---in the wild.
Photo by PMA member risto.
