Think twice before picking up what appears to be a baby animal in need

It’s only natural to want to help the occasional baby bird fallen from a nest, but according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, you may be doing more harm than good.

WDFW recognizes that while some animals may appear injured or abandoned, in reality it’s very likely a parent is nearby.

“99.9% of the time the parent is nearby and will take care of its babies,” WDFW said in a Facebook post. “Every year, hundreds of young wild animals such as fawns, baby seals, and baby birds are needlessly ‘rescued’ and referred to wildlife rehabilitators. This can be harmful or fatal to the young animal, and disruptive to wildlife rehabilitators who need to concentrate limited resources on truly orphaned or injured wildlife.”

The WSU College of Veterinary Medicine is now caring for numerous juvenile animals, including two barn owlets, four screech owlets, two coyote pups, one mink kit, three raccoon kits, two pigeon squab, and one great-horned owl.

WDFW encourages citizens to read up on guidelines for scenarios that may or may not require intervention via their injured or orphaned wildlife page before taking actions that could be fatal to the animal.

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/environment/article/dont-pick-up-baby-animals-wildlife-washington-13966498.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletterspi&utm_term=spi