Found An Animal?

Not all wild babies need help! Each year, we receive thousands of baby birds who are mistakenly taken from their parents.

What should I do? It is a myth that if you touch a baby wild animal, the parents will reject them – this is simply not true.

Ducklings and goslings are precocial, meaning they hatch with a layer of fuzzy down on their bodies and can walk on their own.

Most healthy babies can be successfully reunited with their parents. A baby’s best chance is always with their mother. Mother squirrels often make a back-up nest, so if one nest is destroyed, she still has somewhere to keep her babies. However, mom will not take her baby back if he/she is cold.

Did you know that opossums are the only North American marsupials, meaning they carry their young in pouches? Opossums often carry up to 13 babies at a time, however, only a few make it to adulthood. If you ever find a dead adult opossum, check her pouch to see if she has babies. Often, the babies can still be saved.

Given the opportunity, a mother raccoon will return to where her baby was left behind and she will reclaim her young. Always remember that the baby’s best chance for survival is to remain with her mother.

Many fawns are brought in by people thinking they are abandoned; however, mother deer will often leave their babies alone for 10-15 hours a day, usually staying within 200 yards of their young.

Did you know that skunks often issue warning signs before they spray their musky odor? They will raise their tails, stomp their feet, and lurch their backs to try to scare you away. Skunks begin having their babies in the month of May, and they will stay with their mother at least until autumn.