Whether in their backyards or high on a mountain, it’s almost certain Pennsylvanians will encounter young wildlife this time of year.
While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. It’s likely their mothers are watching over them from somewhere nearby.
So when encountering young deer, birds, raccoons, or other young wildlife, the best thing people can do is leave the animals alone. Whilst out in the wilderness, you may also come across various other species of wildlife too which can also just be left alone. Depending on where you are, different species can be found and it’s actually a hobby for some people to spot varying species. It’s likely that you’ll come across plenty of bugs like spiders but most of them are harmless. Sites like campingfunzone.com show the different species of spiders so that you know exactly what species you’re looking at if you do come across any. Some species can only be found in certain locations but there are some common spiders too, like a house spider.
“People want to help wildlife that appears to be in trouble, but what they often don’t realize is that when they encounter a young wild animal by itself in the spring, it’s usually not alone nor in need of rescue; its mother is nearby,” said Matthew Schnupp, the Game Commission’s wildlife management director. “Leaving such an animal alone so it can reunite with its mother is the best, most-caring thing you can do for it. It ensures the young animal has the chance to grow up as intended.”
Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife also often relies on a natural defensive tactic called the “hider strategy,” where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young.
Deer employ this strategy, and deer fawns sometimes are assumed to be abandoned when, in fact, their mothers are nearby.
The Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting.
Such contact can be harmful to both people and wildlife. Wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult, even impossible, for them to ever again live normally in the wild. And anytime wildlife is handled, there’s always a risk people could contract diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks, and lice. Speaking of pests such fleas, it is not only in wildlife where they can become an issue. Once they get into your home (after a pet of yours had fleas), then they can still linger around after your pet no longer has it. It then comes as no surprise to hear that some people would look into using the services of companies like illinois teminix pest control (or one closer to where you live) to solve this problem. The longer pests like fleas are in your home, the worse it can become. Once the problem is sorted, you’ll want to prevent the fleas from coming back, and you can find out more here about a good flea collar you may wish to consider getting for your pets as part of a flea prevention routine.
Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. Some years ago, a yearling, six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. The investigation into the incident revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and they continued to feed the deer right up until the time of the attack.
It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal. You can learn more about the legality of feeding wild deer using this useful guide from the Feed That Game website here: feedthatgame.com.
Under no circumstances will anyone who illegally takes wildlife into captivity be allowed to keep that animal, and under a working agreement with state health officials, any “high risk” rabies vector species confiscated after human contact must be euthanized and tested; it cannot be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.
Animals infected with rabies might not show obvious symptoms, but still might be able to transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats, coyotes and groundhogs.
People can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound.
Only wildlife rehabilitators, who are licensed by the Game Commission, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purposes of eventual release back into the wild. For those who find wildlife that truly is in need of assistance, a listing of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website, www.pawr.com.