HARRISBURG, PA – With Memorial Day being the unofficial kickoff to summer, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reminds those spending time in the great outdoors to leave young wildlife alone.
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. When encountering young wild animals, whether deer, birds, raccoons or something else, the best thing you can do is leave them alone.
“Mid-to-late spring and early summer are popular times of the year for humans to encounter newborn and young wildlife on the landscapes,” said Pennsylvania Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management Director Matthew Schnupp. “Whether enjoying their backyards or recreating in the woods or water, it’s common for humans to witness the new generation of wildlife in their natural habitats. The best thing people can do when encountering any wildlife is to simply let them be.”
Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food. Typically, the adults will not venture far and will 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.
When deer employ this strategy, fawns are sometimes 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 readjust to the wild.
For humans, anytime wildlife is handled, there is an inherent risk of contracting diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice.
Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. In a documented incident, a six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. An investigation revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and continued to feed it right up until the time of the attack.
From a legal standpoint, 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.
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; none can be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.
Animals infected with rabies may not exhibit obvious symptoms, but still could still 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.
Humans can contract 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.
If you are unable to identify a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, contact the Game Commission by phone at 1-833-PGC-WILD or 1-833-PGC-HUNT.