Wildlife Babies Are Best Left Alone

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension

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Each year the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODW) reminds Ohioans to avoid removing young wildlife from their natural habitats. Advice from ODW is that human intervention is the last hope for wildlife survival and never its best hope.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) provides the following statements in regard to perceived orphaned and/or injured wildlife.

“Wildlife parents are very devoted to their young and rarely abandon them. Many species are raised by only one parent (the mother) and she cannot be in two places at once. This means that baby wildlife must be left alone several times during the day or even the majority of the time while the mother ventures off to find food for herself and her young.

The best thing to do is to keep your distance and keep children and pets away from the young animal. This is to protect both humans and wildlife. Wild animals can carry parasites or diseases that can be harmful to humans and pets. Wild animals also defend themselves by scratching or biting.”

Ohioans can learn more about how to determine if wildlife need intervention from humans or if they should be left alone by viewing a webinar from ODNR & ODW presented by Jamey Emmert: https://youtu.be/wn39dDpEHfo

We thought this baby fox was super cool, but we were careful NOT to disturb it!

Last week, my daughter and I visited Burr Oak State Park for a spring getaway. While on a nature hike, we came across a young fox outside its den. It was exhilarating to be within a few feet of this adorable canine, but we were careful to keep our distance. We were able to capture some memorable photos from the trail on our way to the lake to fish. It was an experience we will never forget.