What To Do If You Find A Wild Animal

Is it REALLY an orphan?

Before rescuing a young wild animal, consider if it really needs help. In most cases, parents are nearby, watching their offspring.

Did you know that...

Some songbirds and owls spend time on the ground learning to fly. In most cases, they do not need help, parents are nearby.
Fawns and baby rabbits are often left alone for long periods of time while mother's foraging for feed.
Squirrels, foxes and raccoons come out to explore while mother is busy or not watching. They are not abandoned, merely learning about the world outside their den.

The Problem
Every year, people who only mean to help, upset the lives of many young wild animals. These people take baby wildlife from the wild in a mistaken attempt to save them. Hopefully, a little understanding will prevent this problem.

The arrival of spring and summer also means the arrival of newborn and just-hatched wildlife. These youngsters venture into the world on shaky legs and fragile wings. Most are learning survival from one or both parents. For them, the perils of survival are a natural part of our ecology. However, young wildlife that learn well are usually most fit to live the longest.

Early unsteady steps and flights are part of normal development, helping young animals learn to care for themselves. Some develop quickly, almost from birth; others need more parental care.

It is at this time that most problems arise. Some people assume that young wildlife they have found have been abandoned, helpless, and need to be saved. In nearly all cases, this is not true and the young animals are neither abandoned nor orphaned.

The Result...
These well-meant acts of kindness tend to have the opposite result. Instead of being left to learn their place in the world, young wild animals are removed from their homes, denying them natural learning experiences and survival skills. Worse, most people find they really do not know how to care for young wildlife, and many animals soon die without proper care, incubation and nutrition. Young wild animals that do survive human care have missed the natural experiences, which teach them to fend for themselves and when released, have a reduced ability to survive. Improper human care given to wild animals often results in "habituation" or bonding with the caregiver causing additional problems for the released animal who continues to seek out people for his food and shelter.

The Solution...
All of these problems can be avoided if we follow a basic rule when coming upon young wildlife...LEAVE THEM ALONE. It may be difficult to do, but this is the real act of kindness. In almost all cases, young wildlife does not need to be "rescued." Only when they are found injured or if we know the mother is dead is there a reason to intervene.

If wildlife is found that requires intervention please visit NH Fish and Game to find the resource nearest you.

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