Saturday, June 9, 2007 1:10 AM CDT
Guest Column: What can you do to help wild baby animals?
By KIMBERLY ROSS
Director, Douglas-Hart Nature Center
Every spring, places like the Douglas-Hart Nature Center and local Department of Natural Resources offices are overloaded with calls and visits about wild baby animals. People try bringing to the nature center everything from baby birds to rescued baby opossums removed from road kill. The answer is the same for most of these animals: Only their mother can take care of them properly. Most of these so called “orphans” are actually kidnapped by concerned humans as the parent helplessly watches from its hiding place.
Baby birds are an especially common problem. A baby bird needs to eat every 45 to 60 minutes to survive. If they have not fledged from the nest, there is little that can be done for them. Many of the birds people want to give us have fledged from the nest and they are concerned because mother is not around. What is likely happening is that mother is flying to each one of these new fledglings and is feeding them while they learn to fly.
She will stop in a few days and the young birds will be on their own. The best thing to do is leave them alone. If you are concerned about your cat or dog eating them, bring your pet inside for a week, or turn on a sprinkler to deter the pet from your yard. If you have removed a tree or somehow knocked out an entire nest, place it in a box or tub and nail it to a nearby tree for the mother to find. It is a myth that if you leave your scent on the bird, the mother will not come back. Birds have a very poor sense of smell. Most birds are federally protected and it is illegal to contain them without proper permits.
Second to birds, we receive many calls and visits about baby rabbits. Eastern cottontail rabbits are independent at about 21 days old and 4 to 5 inches with fur and open eyes. Eastern cottontail rabbits can have multiple litters every year. Don’t be alarmed when mother is not visible; it is not likely she has abandoned the burrow, but visits the burrow only once or twice during the night to nurse the young. If the burrow is continually disturbed, she may be forced to abandon it.
If your pet is disturbing the burrow, you can place a laundry basket with a brick over it, removing the basket at dusk and replacing it at dawn. They may be cute and fuzzy, but it is illegal to trap or keep eastern cottontail rabbits without a proper permit.
One of the most bizarre calls we have received was from a frantic mother of two children who found a baby deer and brought it into the house while she was at work. The doe did not abandon the young fawn, but in fact they leave their young for many hours at a time. The young fawn is camouflaged with spots and has no scent for the specific purpose of hiding. If the fawn had been taken for too long of a time, the mother may have given up on searching for it.
Our instructions for this case were to return the fawn where it was found immediately. The last thing a deer needs it to be raised with human imprint; no good can come of a full-grown deer without a fear of humans.
Many good intentioned individuals pick up turtles that are crossing the road for fear that the turtle will be run over. Because the turtle more than likely does know where it is going, the best thing to do is to help it cross, not bring it to a strange area where it will be in higher competition for resources in an unfamiliar setting.
Trapping and dumping is the most serious problem we face at the nature center. We have encountered people dumping animals such as squirrels and raccoons on nature center grounds. It is illegal to trap these animals without proper permits. These released animals will either get eaten or starve as they compete for territory. It is cruel to take any kind of animal and dump it in a strange place as they may be leaving young behind to starve. These nuisance animals will be replaced by another animal in time. The attraction must be removed, whether it means getting squirrel-proof feeders, netting over your ornamental fish pond or lids on trash cans.
Most of the people I speak with or see mean well and are concerned for the safety of the animal. Humans cannot care for wild animals properly like the wild parents can. Without proper permits, most animals are illegal to capture and care for.
If the animal is truly injured or hurt, there are licensed wildlife rehabilitators for the job. Rehabilitators are often overloaded with animals to care for and must choose to help the most in need or rare animals. If you are found with an illegally captured animal, you could face penalties and fines, and the human imprinted animal may be euthanized.
If you are unsure on what to do in a wildlife situation, or for further information, call the Douglas-Hart Nature Center (235-4644) or the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (217-782-6232).
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George wrote on Jun 11, 2007 8:59 AM: