Wildlife Encounters: Baby Animals

With nesting and birthing season underway, wildlife rehabilitators are inundated with calls about orphaned or injured baby animals. Sometimes the animal is truly in trouble and can be rescued, while others are actually following a normal protocol and should be left alone. And of course, over all of them looms the specter of “let nature take its course.”

The “circle of life” and “letting nature take its course” are very practical outlooks. After all, everything has a time to live and a time to die, right? But I know through many personal experiences how hard it is to let that one play out! Sure, I love carrion beetles (who doesn’t), and I want a baby hawk to have plenty to eat, but still, when there’s a sick little bunny on the ground in front of me, or a crying baby raccoon that is obviously lost, it’s hard to walk away and do nothing. I usually succeed in making myself follow that course of action, knowing if the animal dies it will truly benefit another one. I remind myself that a recently-fledged hawk or young fox is not capable of catching a healthy adult chipmunk, but learns survival skills by finding a sick or wounded one it can capture. I remind myself that the American Burying Beetle is an endangered species, and wouldn’t it be cool if one happened upon this animal after it dies? But it is always a struggle to not step in and try to save the day.

If you feel you MUST rescue an animal in need, here are some serious dos and don’ts to follow:

1) Stay safe! The animal doesn’t know you are trying to help. You match exactly the picture of “nasty predator” from his self-help book, so guard against being bitten or scratched by using heavy gloves and handling the animal as little as possible.

2) Safety includes protecting yourself against parasites and diseases. Most wild animals have external parasites – ticks, lice, fleas or all of the above – so wear gloves and don’t let your kids cuddle the cute baby! They also might have a disease that you don’t want to expose you or your pets to, including rabies, distemper, and a variety of other viruses. Limit contact and thoroughly wash or dispose of any blankets or containers used to transport the animal.

3) Consider whether the animal is really in need of assistance. If you walk by some young creature and it looks disheveled, begs for food, and claims its parents haven’t fed it in days, ask yourself, “how is this different from my teenager, who lies on the couch and begs for pizza money?” Truly, many “orphaned” babies are simply teenagers who don’t yet know how to fly (much like a 15-year-old behind the wheel) or hunt, and whose parents are trying a little tough love to make it “get off the couch.”

If you come along and feed it, you’ve stopped the natural process of the youngster learning to find its own food. Likewise, some REALLY young animals should also be left alone. A mother rabbit really doesn’t return to the nest until after dark, so you will not see her unless you use night-vision goggles. If the dog dug up the babies, put them back in the nest and sure enough, the mother rabbit will reclaim them. (Rabbits never read those books that say they abandon their young if you or your dog touches them.) Female deer really do leave their newborn fawns for hours on end, because the tiny baby can’t keep up and is better off staying still and hidden. These are not babies that should be rescued, or even approached!

4) If you are SURE the animal should be rescued, check the DNR’s website for a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators (www.michigan.gov/dnr, click on “wildlife & habitat”). Don’t be surprised at the very short list – rehabbing wildlife is extremely time-consuming, expensive and generally thankless.

I hope I haven’t caused you to dread your next outdoor experience! This is a beautiful season to get outside and enjoy nature’s show, including baby animals. Hopefully they will all cooperate and have only positive experiences in front of you!

- Janea Little, CNC Senior Naturalist