The Fish and Wildlife Division, Department of Environmental Resources reminds anyone who encounters young birds and mammals in their backyards, fields and woodlots to leave them alone. Although seemingly "orphaned", in many cases these animals have only temporarily strayed from the adult female and will be recovered by her eventually.
This year, as in the past, the Fish and Wildlife Division has already received several "rescue" calls from people who have picked up young raccoons and squirrels and are looking for assistance for the animals. Wildlife staff caution that interfering with lost, orphaned, or abandoned young does not help wildlife populations or the environment, and in fact such actions are not consistent with provincial wildlife policy prohibiting the keeping of native wildlife in captivity.
People who pick up fledgling birds and young mammals are not doing the wild animals any favour. Quite the contrary -- they are exposing them to unnecessary stress and probable eventual death by "rescuing" them. Rarely will the young animal survive but those that do, such as young raccoons, will become problem animals as they reach maturity. Attempts to re-introduce captive wildlife back to the wild usually fail because the animals have not learned to survive on their own.
In some cases young animals are orphaned through accidental death or natural predation to the parents, and should be left to fend for themselves. In the natural world, far more young are produced annually than are necessary to maintain the populations of each wildlife species. This high birth rate must be balanced by an equally high mortality rate. Predation and scavenging by other species are natural and necessary processes to insure the long-term health of wildlife populations.
In some cases people handling wild animals not only risk exposing themselves to bites, but also to pathogenic organisms such as parasites and bacterial and viral disease organisms.
Remember! Young wild birds and mammals that you encounter should be left alone!
For more information, please contact Randy Dibblee, Environmental Resources, 368-4666.