Many examples exist of people driving along down the road or working
on their property and encountering a baby deer, Raccoon, Opossum, etc.
Often, individuals are quick to swoop the animal up into their arms, and
begin to worry about the care of these small, infant animals. Baby
wildlife naturally looks very helpless when encountered. Newly born deer
slip, trip and fall to the ground and stand with unsteady legs, just
learning how to stand and walk. These animals' mothers are generally in
close proximity to the babies, but may be just out of sight. More times
then not, most people pick up these animals in an attempt to help, but
are actually hurting the well being of these infant animals.
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| Baby Raccoons in their den (Photo courtesy of Thomas Barnes). |
Animals
are great parents. They raise and nurture their infants much like
people and excel at being parents. They tend to the every need of their
babies and will put their lives on the line in order to raise their
young. This sometimes includes leaving their babies to search for food,
or staying a distance from their young as much as possible to prevent
attracting attention to an area where their young may be hiding. So even
if you see a baby animal seemingly alone, more often than not, its
mother will be close by. Sometimes there are special circumstances,
where a baby's mother is hit by a vehicle, or the baby is somehow
injured to the point that without human intervention it will not
survive. But even in these cases, one must be careful. Injured wildlife
will fight for their lives and will make every attempt to defend
themselves. Some animals may be sick, and a bite from one of these
animals could pass diseases like rabies on to the well meaning person
trying to help. One must also bear in mind that in many cases it is
illegal to transport wildlife.
So what
can you do to help? The best thing to do is first analyze the
situation. Does the animal appear injured? Is it alone? Is an adult of
the same species somewhere in the vicinity? It is very possible that the
fawn that you are looking at has its mother somewhere just out of
sight, keeping an eye on it. If there appears to be a problem, contact
your State Fish and Wildlife Office. They will be able to point you in
the right direction of someone that can help you.
The
desire to help wildlife in need is a great quality, but use care and
common sense. Don't hesitate to contact someone who is knowledgeable and
seek their advice. You may very well come into contact with wildlife in
need of help, but at the same time, you need to exercise caution to
insure that you are in fact helping, and not hurting our beautiful
wildlife.
For information about KY's Wildlife Rehab info, visit this
LINK.
You can also visit this
LINK for wildlife rehabilitation in Virginia.
In Kentucky, rehab questions can be directed to 1-800-858-1549.
In Virginia, the number to contact is (804) 367-1000.
I can be reached by contacting me
HERE
