Give space to newborn wildlife
Wild bird and mammal species typically produce young in the spring. This timing allows the young to gain the strength and size needed to survive the challenges of winter, or the rigors and dangers of fall migration.
Deer, elk and moose will give birth to fawns and calves in late May and June.
Some wild newborns will make it through the perilous first few days and weeks…and others will not. Fortunately, reproductive potential is high for most wild animal species and despite losses of individuals, populations carry on.
The first few days of life are the most crucial to long-term survival. Wild animal newborns are vulnerable to predators until they are able to run or fly well enough to escape predation.
Predators in the first few weeks can include other wild species such as wolves, mountain lions, bears, bobcats and eagles. Raccoons, skunks, weasels and other species need to eat to survive, and newborn birds and mammals are frequent meals for them.
When allowed to run loose, domesticated animals such as dogs and cats can also cause mortality of young wildlife. Pet owners can reduce wildlife injury or death by keeping pets confined. Although pets may have plenty of food available, their predatory instincts can take over when allowed to run at large.
Starting soon, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional offices will receive several calls a day about deer fawns that people observe with no doe visible in the surrounding area. Callers are often convinced that the fawn has been “injured,” “abandoned” or “orphaned.”
While fawns are occasionally injured or orphaned, they are almost never abandoned. An adult doe has extremely strong maternal instincts and will not abandon a fawn.
Most offspring of wild animals are raised by one parent. It is not unusual that a person will observe a young wild animal alone several times in the course of a day. At the moment you see a young wild animal alone, the adult may be away in search of food to meet their own nutritional requirements or gathering nourishment for their offspring.
A mammalian mother may be nearby but not visible while foraging for food that is essential to her ability to nurse her young. A more likely scenario is that the adult has detected your presence and is hiding nearby, keeping a distance away from their young to hide them and to protect themselves from danger.
Wildlife parents are very devoted to the care of their young. A person should never assume abandonment of a wild bird or mammal has occurred. A person standing watch over a deer fawn or elk calf will cause the adult parent to remain hiding. IDFG has had fawns brought in by people who say, “I stayed there and watched it all day, and the doe never came back.” Without realizing it, the presence of that person may have kept the doe in hiding.
If you find a seriously injured animal; or, when you know with certainty that a wild animal has lost its parent, intervention may be appropriate. Contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for instructions on the next step.
Do not plan to raise wild animals on your own. Young wild animals require special care and feeding that is beyond what the average household is prepared to manage. Additionally, possession of most species of wildlife taken from the wild is illegal in Idaho. Attempting to make household or backyard pets out of wild animals is a losing proposition. Fuzzy, cute, cuddly raccoons, rabbits, fawns, etc. become adults. They will become a burden or a danger to people.
In the spring when wildlife reproduction is at its peak, you may have the good fortune to observe a nest of birds or a litter of young mammals with no adult in sight. Enjoy the sight, but if nothing is obviously amiss, it is best to leave things alone.
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Phil Cooper is a wildlife conservation educator employed with Idaho Fish and Game in the Panhandle Region.