Winter is finally over. Trees and flowers are blossoming, birds are building nests, critters are being born, and the calls about “abandoned” animals have begun. Spring is also the time when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants folks to know that those fawns and fledglings that may seem abandoned and in need of rescue might not need human assistance. In fact, sometimes rescue efforts may do more harm than good.
After giving birth, adult wildlife must forage to provide food for themselves and their young. This means leaving their newborns for short periods. Having some basic knowledge of wildlife and the survival skills animals use can help people understand when to leave nature alone.
Common targets of misplaced rescues are baby deer temporarily left in a safe place while their mothers feed nearby. Many people who find fawns mistakenly assume they have been abandoned when in reality parents are in the process of ensuring the infants’ survival. “In most cases, it is absolutely not in the fawn’s best interest to ‘rescue’ it,” said Allan Hallman, wildlife biologist in the FWC’s North Central Region. Hallman says what typically happens is someone discovers a young deer waiting for its mother. Often, those fawns are found in palmetto patches or in recently burned areas where a doe has placed her new offspring for protection. These settings tend to help mask the fawn’s scent, thus providing good protection from the keen nose of a predator.
People discover these seemingly abandoned baby deer and become concerned when the parent is nowhere in sight. The would-be rescuer falsely believes the young animal will perish unless he or she “saves” it or takes it to a wildlife rehabilitation center. “Unfortunately, actions of this kind usually have the opposite effect of a rescue,” Hallman said. “The stress created by changing the animal’s diet and surroundings is often fatal. If the rescued fawn manages to survive, its return to the wild is practically impossible because of human imprinting or a lack of survival skills. If it had remained wild, the young deer would have learned the necessary survival skills from its mother,” Hallman said.
Another way to help with the survival of young animals is to not feed them. Feeding can cause problems ranging from poor nutrition to making the animal dependent on humans for food and to loss of foraging skills, all of which can decrease the critter’s chances of survival. “These animals have survived for a long time without our assistance. They can continue to survive without handouts,” Hallman said.
The FWC recommends that if you find a fawn or other baby animal, don’t touch it, and quietly leave the area. “However, if you see a bird on the ground, it should be returned to its nest,” Hallman said. “Songbirds have almost no sense of smell, so the young birds can be returned to their nest without much chance of rejection.”
Juvenile birds are commonly found on the ground at this time of year looking a bit dazed or confused. The youngster may be trying to hide in tall grass or in low bushes to avoid being seen by predators. These young birds are going through a process called fledging. When they’re ready to fledge, young birds have grown all the adult feathers they’ll need to fly, but they still must learn to fly. During this process, the immature birds sometimes end up on the ground where they may spend several days before they learn all their flight skills. “While on the ground, the juvenile birds’ parents continue to watch over them, feeding them and helping them learn necessary survival skills. Help the parents by keeping any pets that may harm the young birds on a leash when outdoors,” Hallman said. “Please don’t interfere in this crucial learning process.”
Here are some important facts that can help determine if a baby bird needs rescuing. According to biologists, the only time a baby songbird should be rescued is when it is on the ground and has almost no feathers, when the bird is injured by pets or its tail is less than a half-inch long and it cannot hop around on its own.
If you find a baby songbird you are sure needs rescuing, place the baby bird in a tissue-lined box that has air holes in the top. Keep the box in a warm spot away from drafts and air conditioning and out of direct sunlight. Do not give it food or water. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area. The FWC’s Northwest Region Office, 850-265-3676, has a list of rehabbers. A statewide list of rehabbers is available at MyFWC.com/Wildlife under “Living with Wildlife.” Many local veterinarians also work closely with wildlife rehabilitators and also can be a good source of advice.
“You can also place the bird in a lined box and attach the box to the tree from where the bird fell. Sometimes the parents will come to the baby in the new box and feed it there,” Hallman said. This gives the bird a chance to be raised properly by its parents. “Most parents will come back to care for the fledgling. Sometimes, however, they reject the chick because of a limited food supply, an inability to care for the young chick, or for other reasons we may not understand,” Hallman said. “If the parents don’t return, then the chick should be taken to a rehab center. Migratory birds are protected and need to be cared for by a licensed facility.”
Another young animal that you may come across is a rabbit. Cottontail rabbits are found throughout the state and are most active in the early morning and at night. The breeding season is nearly year-round but mainly February through September. The young are born from March through September after a gestation period of 26 to 30 days. Females may have three to four litters with four to seven young in a single year.
“Rabbits often build nests in wide open spaces but even then can be hard to see,” said Arlo Kane, Northwest Region Coordinator for FWC’s Landowner Assistance Program. “Mothers only spend about five minutes a day feeding their babies and usually check on them in the morning and evening.”
“The babies have no scent, but the mother does, so that is why she stays away most of the day to prevent her from attracting predators to the nest,” said Kane. “Most baby rabbits are not abandoned; they are simply being hidden from predators, and the mother will return in the evening.”
The FWC asks you to remember that removing an animal from the wild to save it may actually have the opposite effect. Seek advice from wildlife professionals before attempting to rescue any animal. “Remember that in most cases, it’s best to leave wildlife wild,” Hallman said.
For more information on Florida’s wildlife and what you can do to help, go to MyFWC.com and click on “Wildlife & Habitats.” 
Bekah Nelson
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
