Tips on What to do When Wildlife Issues Arise

Visiting with Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason last week, I was struck by the number of phone calls she and other officials receive about wildlife found in the area, either injured or apparently orphaned.

“The calls double this time of year,” Mason said. “Babies are born and sometimes orphaned when their mothers are killed or they're found alone and appear abandoned by their mothers.”

Unfortunately, by law, the dog pound staff cannot go out on wildlife calls, but Mason is eager to advise callers. 

“People want to do the right thing when they find baby animals," she said. "It’s important to know exactly what to do in certain situations so that you don't interfere with a mother who may just be off hunting.”

It’s not unusual to find baby animals alone this time of year. Trying to feed and nurse them back to health is not only tremendously time-consuming – baby birds have to be fed every two hours around the clock – but in the end, often a futile effort.

Fawns usually take the biggest hit as people believe they can feed them and then let them back into the wild when they get older.

“Since the doe may leave the nest during the day, sometimes for more than eight hours at a time, the fawn appears abandoned and the calls come in,”  Mason said.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and three Connecticut State fawn rehabilitators in 2010 studied the survival rate of rehabbed fawns. 

The group studied fawns that were fed and then released into the wild (hard release) and fawns who were fed and then had their pens left open for self release (soft release).

All the hard-released fawns died within 36 days and the soft-release fawns all died within 85 days. Animals from both groups didn't venture very far from their release points and remained unafraid of humans, certainly a problem in our forests.

Although there were several different factors causing the deaths, the mortality rate was 100-percent. The study will continue this year. 

Because the mortality rate of rehabilitated fawns is so high, please do not remove a fawn who is by itself. Wait at least 24 hours to determine if, in fact, the mother is just out hunting for food. The baby has a much better chance of survival if “mom” is the one to feed and care for it.

According to Dara Reid, Director of Wildlife in Crisis, volunteers answer more than 15,000 calls per year and care for more than 5,000 wounded and orphaned wild animals each year.

“This is a perilous time for these animals, as they seek to build their nests and raise their young amid the hustle and bustle of human society,”  Reid said.

If you see a raccoon or other nocturnal animals during summer daylight hours, it is not necessarily rabid.

Another common misconception is if you touch a baby bird, the mom will reject it.

“You can pick up a baby bird and replace it in the nest without danger of the parents rejecting it,” Reid said.

Baby bunnies and squirrels also can be put back in their nests and the mothers will continue to feed it, keeping in  mind that squirrels will not retrieve their babies at night. 

In contrast, “mother rabbits only return to their babies a few time a day, usually overnight,” Reid said.

Many times the situation is more than most people can handle, especially if the wildlife is injured. You should seek expert help for any distressed wildlife.

Wildlife rehabilitators listed on the following website directories are licensed and have experience with orphaned or injured wildlife. They will accept and treat orphaned and injured wildlife. Some limit their care, or are licensed only to certain species.

Check your directory for the one best suited for your situation.

wildlifeincrisis.org, a volunteer-run, non-profit wildlife care center in Weston. Tel: (203) 544-9913;

wildliferehabber.com: This site has a directory by state of rehabilitators

Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Association (www.cwrawildlife.org) : Most rehabilitators belong to this organization. The site has tons of wildlife info and a directory by zip code.

http://www.earthplace.org/resources.html: A good resource for the care of wildlife

CT DEP's Wildlife Rehab: directory and info on dealing with distressed wildlife.

CT DEP 24 hour Emergency Hotline 860-424-3333

Correction: If you see a raccoon or other nocturnal animals during summer daylight hours, it is not necessarily rabid. An earlier version of this article was inaccurate in describing the behavior.