Young Wildlife - Best Left Wild

LEWISTON - With May and June being the peak time for Idaho's wildlife to have their young, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) offers this simple suggestion to well-intentioned people finding baby animals that appear to be abandoned: Leave them alone. Most young wildlife picked up by well-meaning, concerned citizens do not survive in captivity and have no survival skills to allow release back to the wild. Resisting the urge to pick up "abandoned" wildlife helps ensure it will remain wild. "If you encounter young wildlife that seems stranded, it's best to leave it alone," cautions Jay Crenshaw, Clearwater Region wildlife manager. "Chances are the mother is close by waiting for you to leave." IDFG has only two alternatives when dealing with animals removed from the wild. Volunteer wildlife rehabilitators can attempt to raise the animal and place it back in the wild, but this option often fails because the majority of young animals brought to IDFG are often in poor condition. The animals that do make it have no survival skills and have unnaturally formed bonds with humans. IDFG can also attempt to place the animals in zoos, but most zoos now refuse to take the animals because of crowding and disease problems. It is recommended that if a small animal, such as a bird, rabbit or squirrel is found near a home, it should be placed back in the nest if possible and left undisturbed. All wild animals have a better chance of survival if left alone, than if raised in a human environment.