07/22/2025
If you care, leave it there
If you notice a baby animal alone, don’t take pity. Take off. You might think you’re saving a life by helping, but you’re actually risking it.
Right now lots of bird species have young that are fledging, or learning to fly. The young birds spend a lot of time on the ground bouncing around and perhaps looking awkward, but this is totally normal. They learn to fly from the ground up, so to speak. They may even appear to be almost the size of an adult because they have gained their flight feathers. The adults are likely still in the vicinity, so please leave the baby birds to their practice.
Similarly, does often leave their fawns this time of year to feed. The fawns have good camouflage with their white spots and don't have any scent to attract predators, so they are not in immediate harm. Chances are, their mothers are not far away and will return soon, but not while humans are in the vicinity. They may look abandoned, but they probably aren't, and separating them from their mothers could mean they won't survive. Humans don't know how to take care of deer, and there are no rehab facilities that will take them due to CWD. So before you load up that fawn, think of what's truly best for the animal.
So what should you do?
🐦Leave it there. It’s natural for deer, elk, rabbits, and birds to leave their young alone for extended periods of time.
🐰Control your dog. Keep your dog under control, especially in the spring when newborn wildlife is most vulnerable.
🦌Keep cats indoors. Many birds nest and feed on the ground. Young birds are also learning how to fly, making them vulnerable to cats.
🦆Keep in mind. It is illegal to possess and care for a live animal taken from the wild.
To learn more, visit: https://fwp.mt.gov/homepage/news/2025/june/0618-baby-animals
