Spring means babies, and lots of ’em. Baby birds, baby deer, baby moose, baby bears, baby foxes, baby coyotes, baby everything else. It’s just that time of year. These babies are adorable, and running into them while out in nature can be a great experience. But keep in mind, even if a baby animal is alone and looks helpless, LEAVE IT BE.
Idaho Fish and Game shared a news release this morning reminding folks to leave the baby wildlife alone. You might see a whole host of babies on their own, including ducklings and fawns, with no mother in sight, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been abandoned or need your help.
Animal parents often leave their young for a whole host of reasons, including hunting, for rest, and to lure predators away. Young fawns and other animals are often left in bushes for several hours. This is normal. Observe from a distance, maybe snap a picture, and move on.
In the spring, Idaho Fish and Game receives a whole host of calls by people who believed they saved some sort of wildlife youngling, and often times those babies’ had mothers nearby. If you find any baby animal, just observe and leave it alone. If you’re seriously worried about the animal, contact your state’s Fish and Game and let them take care of it, if it even needs to be taken care of.
Also, and this is very important here, do not take any wildlife hoping to raise at home. That’s illegal for most animals in most states, and frankly it’s a bit morally questionable, even if you don’t realize the harm you’re doing. There are professionals that take care of these things, let them do that.
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Image Credit: Idaho Fish and Game via Facebook