NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1521783
54 Nebraskaland • June 2024 MIXED BAG By Julie Geiser This time of year, people may fi nd wild baby animals including deer, birds and rabbits. When spotting a baby animal by itself, it is natural to want to rescue it. The best thing to do, however, is to leave it alone. In most cases, the parent is nearby and is keeping its young safe through camoufl age. Deer Does will leave their fawns for hours at a time, returning only to nurse them. The doe can be seen by predators, so she leaves the fawn hidden in tall grass, brush or behind large rocks or trees to draw attention away from its location. During their fi rst weeks of life, fawns do not try tofl ee frompredators; they rely on remaining undetected through camoufl age and stillness and are learning critical survival skills during this time. People sometimes pick up these fawns, thinking they have been abandoned. The longer the fawn is separated from its mother, the slimmer the chance that it will be reunited with her, and its survival decreases. Birds If a bird nest gets blown out of a tree, people can help by putting the nest and eggs or baby birds back up in a tree where it is safe to reach. If young, non-feathered birds are blown out of a nest, simply put them back in the nest if you can safely reach it. Birds will not abandon their young if people touch them. If you fi nd baby birds on the ground that have very few feathers on them and you cannot reach the nest, make a nest from a small butter or sour cream tub. Punch holes in the tub to thread a thin rope through it, and then tie it as high as you can to a tree. Place some soft tissue and the baby bird(s) in the tub, and the parent birds will come back to take care of their young. If you fi nd baby birds that have a lot of feathers on the ground, the young birds will be tended to by their parents. At this stage, the fl edged or feathered young birds are taught vital life skills like fi nding food, identifying predators and fl ying. Rabbits A mother cottontail rabbit will only tend to her nest a couple of times a day for a few minutes and spends the rest of the day away from it. She does this to prevent drawing predators to the nest and to forage for herself. If you fi nd a nest that looks undisturbed and the mother is nowhere in sight, that is her plan. Once the young rabbits are old enough to leave the nest, they will scatter about the area and fi nd places to feed and hide from danger. Most wildlife is protected by state or federal law, and it is illegal to possess them. There are places that can help in emergencies — the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, Inc., Raptor Recovery and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission are good resources. LEAVE WILD BABIES ALONE JULIE GEISER, NEBRASKALAND JULIE GEISER, NEBRASKALAND JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND