JUNE 10, 2015
What do you do if you see a wild animal baby?
Don't take me away from my mommy.......
Every year, Southwest Wildlife receives many injured, orphaned, and displaced animals needing help. However, there are many baby animals out there that may appear orphaned, but in fact they are not!
It is human nature to want to help an animal that we think is orphaned or lost. Our nurturing tendencies come out as we "rescue" what we think is an animal that has lost its mom. What many of us don't realize is that typically the mother is nearby. She is either fearful of people so she keeps away, or she is out gathering/hunting for food for her babies. The best chance for any young wild animal to survive is for it to stay with its mother. Once a person handles a baby animal, its chances of surviving or being released back into the wild, greatly drop.
If you find a wild animal that is in a dangerous situation such as in the middle of the road or driveway, you can move the animal carefully to a safe location. Doing this will not make the mother abandon the animal. There is a myth that if an animal is picked up by a human, the mother will reject the baby- this is not true!
If you come across a wild animal baby and think it might be orphaned, please call us first! We have a hotline you can call to ask questions or request help for a wild animal. Please call (480) 471-9109 before attempting to handle a wild animal. If it is a wildlife emergency, please call (480) 433-5656.
If in doubt, call us before picking up a baby wild animal. This simple phone call could save the animal's life or its chance of living a life of freedom in the wild.
www.southwestwildlife.org
Wildlife Clinic/Emergencies: 480-471-9109 | Wildlife Education/Tours: 480-471-3621 |
Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center | PMB 115 | 8711 E Pinnacle Peak Rd. | Scottsdale, AZ 85255 | 480-471-9109.
