A hands-off approach to helping wildlife
By GWEN FARISS NEWMAN for Smart
Along with spring comes fresh green grass and flower buds, the chirps of birds and the birth of babes.
For many of us going about the business of cleaning out sheds and tidying up lawns and gardens, it means we’ll come across tiny little critters -- animals toppled out of nests or perhaps left injured or abandoned.
What to do? Well, first of all, don’t rush to do anything.
Richard M. Nixon County Park Educator Francis Velazquez says that people too often mistakenly believe that animals are in jeopardy merely because of their diminutive size.
If a young bunny is fully furred with eyes open, he is ready to venture on his own. “Their instincts, what they’ve learned from mom and dad, either prepares them or it doesn’t,” Velazquez said. “That’s the way of Mother Nature.”
Observe only
Wildlife rehabilitators say too often we make the mistake of assuming that baby animals need help. Just because we’ve stumbled upon them, doesn’t mean that anything is amiss. Assess the situation, but refrain from intervening. The mother might have left the area simply to find food.
“Owls and hawks have to first find food and be successful at catching it. It can take hours,” said wildlife rehabilitator Mitzi Eaton, who specializes in birds of prey. Eaton, who lives in Lower Windsor Township, takes in 75 to 100 birds a year, 90 percent of them the result of traumatic injuries, and successfully returns one-third to one-half back to the wild.
Other situations that we deem dangerous might be perfectly natural. Baby robins, for instance, learn to fly from off the ground, not their nests. They might be developing their flight muscles the way that nature intended when we see them on the ground.
Do not touch
The sight or scent of a human can be fatal to young wildlife. Animals will sometimes abandon their offspring if they sense a human is close to the nest or near the young. Humans also are at risk of contracting disease or of coming into contact with nesting materials infested with fleas.
Wait and see
Do not intervene until it has become apparent that the young indeed are on their own or in danger. Watch quietly from the sidelines. Minimize the chances that the mother will see anything that appears dangerous or might scare her from the nest. Mothers typically return to a nest at night and humans will seldom see them during the day or while hovering nearby.
Wildlife rehabilitators advise waiting at least 24 hours before intervening. Mothers are keenly aware of human presence and will not knowingly reveal the locations of their young.
Assess the situation
If the animal is hurt, it needs immediate care. If not, you might be able to leave the scene and again watch quietly from a more remote location.
You will want to be able to describe how the animal looks, acts and the conditions in which it was found.
Call the pros
In Pennsylvania, it is unlawful for anyone to try to rescue injured or abandoned wildlife unless they are a licensed rehabilitator. This person will be your most valuable resource for protecting a vulnerable bird, mammal or reptile.
Check our “Other local resources” box for contact information for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, or contact your local police department, animal control facility or veterinarian. Penalties for “possession of wildlife” vary by state and by species.
Deliver with care
Wildlife rehabilitators are volunteers who dedicate their time and expertise. They are unpaid and rely on donations of food and other supplies. To take on an injured or abandoned animal, they do ask that those rescuing the animals transport the animals. The rehabilitators will be able to advise and make recommendations for the animal’s safe delivery.
Road to recovery
Babies who are dehydrated or cold will be unable to digest food. Trying to feed them can kill. A wildlife rehabilitator will stabilize the animal prior to feeding and will know what foods work best for individual breeds. Once warm and hydrated, babies must be fed consistently, usually around the clock as frequently as every other hour. Animals may be tended for weeks or even months before they recover and recuperate.
Bye, bye birdie
Young, abandoned animals have a high survival rate when quickly brought in for care. Success inevitably will vary based on age, overall health, any injuries and access to needed resources. The goal for all recoveries is to successfully treat the animal and return it to the wild.
Become a resource
Help inform those with big hearts that their assistance might be less in the form of nursing or nurturing a small critter back to health and more in the form of contacting correct people.
Spring peak
Spring is the peak season for wildlife rehabilitators tending to orphaned or injured animals.
Barbara Gregory of Newberry Township specializes in the care of small mammals, such as squirrels and rabbits, as well as deer, turtles, beavers and river otters. She cares for as many as 300 to 400 animals in a year and will sometimes receive as many as 25 calls in a day during the spring peak.
Many of her rescues involve animals injured by domestic pets. She advises keeping a close watch on cats, in particular, whose sharp teeth can easily puncture organs and cause deadly harm.
“I’ve read accounts where bunnies have had a cardiac arrest in someone’s hands, because it was scared to death,” Velazquez said.
Locally licensed rehabilitators• Barbara Gregory (small mammals) 938-4040
• Mitzi Eaton (birds of prey) 757-4420
• Teresa Deckard (songbirds) 843-4914
Other local resources
• Pennsylvania Game Commission 787-4250 (state headquarters);
(610) 926-3136 (Southeast Region)
• Bird Refuge of York County, 843-4914
• Richard M. Nixon County Park, 428-1961
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