Wild babies - Leave them be
REGIONAL -- Spring is in full force now and over the past three weeks, Shelby County Conservation and DNR officials have received a slew of phone calls regarding baby animals.
“While I know people have the best of intentions, usually these intentions are the worst thing for these wild babies,” said Christina Roelofs, Shelby County and DNR Naturalist. “Most of the cute, fluffy babies that people want to help are nocturnal animals.”
Roelofs said residents are finding the babies during the day and do not see mom, so they automatically assume that the babies are orphaned or abandoned. This usually is not the case. Mom is around. She is just asleep because that is what she is supposed to do during the day.
“When people scoop up these animals thinking that they are helping them, they are doing the worst thing to them,” she explained. “Many of these animals experience high levels of stress. This alone may cause them to die.
“Another problem comes into play when people try to take care of these animals themselves. Wild animals need special things to eat. When they do not have the proper nutrition, they will not develop properly or worse yet, they will develop pneumonia and suffer before dying. Baby animals can also become imprinted. This means they think they are human.”
Imprinted animals will not survive in the wild. These babies may also carry diseases and parasites (even if they appear healthy) that can cause serious problems in humans.
The most important reason to not try to take care of baby wild animal is because it is illegal, Roelofs said. Depending on the animal, they may be covered by both state and federal laws, meaning two separate charges could be filed for animals that are illegally cared for by an unlicensed person.
“The best place for these animals is with their mother. One way to think of it is if you would see kids playing in a yard and did not see their mom. Would you go grab them to rescue them because you don’t see their mom?,” she said.
They do need help sometimes
There are instances that baby animals do need help. If the animal has been attacked by another animal or you can see that something is physically wrong with the animal, they may need help.
The best thing to do at that point it to call a conservation officer or a member of the local county conservation board.
“They will be able to direct you as to the next steps you will need to take,” said Roelofs. “These animals need to go to a place where they can receive the care that they need.”
In order to care for injured or orphaned wild animals you must be a state licensed rehabilitator. These rehabilitators have extensive training on how to care for animals, how to reduce their stress levels, and how to keep them from becoming imprinted.
They also have special facilities that must be approved by the state in order to conduct rehabilitation. Rehabilitators or educational permit holders are the only people that can legally have wild animals in their possession.
Small things to do
There are small things that people can do if they do find a baby animal all alone, Roelofs said.
Keep pets inside and away from the baby animals. Do not mess with the baby animal and stress it out. If it is a baby bird and it cannot hop, put it back in the nest. If a whole nest has blown down, put it back in a tree. The babies will make enough noise that the parents will find them.
“If you are worried about an animal, leave for a while and check back later. Give mom time to come for her baby,” Roelofs said.
This is very important in the case of deer. Fawns are taught to stay by themselves for very long amounts of time. Fawns are born without a scent. If mom stays by them, predators could smell her, and find the babies. Mom leaves to keep the babies safe.
Rehabilitators are no longer allowed to take in fawns due to concerns of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). So, if anyone rescues a fawn it is an automatic death sentence for them.
“Remember that all animals do best with their mothers and that is where they should stay,” Roelofs said.