With spring finally making its way here, it has brought many things with it such as warmer days, green trees and sunshine.
One other thing we begin to see this time of year is the emergence of baby wildlife. Many animals are having their babies this time of year, such as birds, rabbits and others.
With new baby animals abounding comes the thought of them being abandoned. Many people will see these baby animals and, with good intentions, think they are abandoned by the parents. This is simply not the case in most instances.
The parents of animals will often hide their young during the day so the parent can venture to forage for food. When a person approaches a baby animal, the parent is often not far away, but the presence of the person could scare it.
If a baby animal is discovered, the best thing to do is to leave it alone or return it to its own home. Birds that have no feathers can be returned to their nest, but birds that do have feathers are most likely those that are learning to fly.
Some animals, such as rabbits, often do not survive the stress that capture puts on them. This occurrence is known as capture myopathy and it can be lethal for many young animals. If a young animal is taken from the wild and placed in captivity, the odds of its survival can be diminished, and the odds of it being able to be returned to the wild can be reduced as well.
Captive-reared animals struggle with being returned to the wild because they did not learn how to survive.
Rehabilitating animals in one's own home is also a thought that comes to people's mind. This process can be long and expensive. Rehabilitating animals also requires the proper training and permits just like being a rehabilitator of people.
When handling wildlife, a person must not only consider the safety of the animal, but the safety of themselves too. Animals can be carriers of various parasites and diseases, such as rabies.
When it comes to the topic of abandoned wildlife, the best thing for the people that truly care for the animal to do is to either return it to its nest or to leave it alone. Wildlife should be left wild.