Being a friend to wildlife is the first step to protect the many wonderful species that share our home. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to be a friend to wildlife. Understanding wild animals and their habitats and life histories will help you learn their needs.
Understanding Wild Animals
The best way we can usually help wild animals is by leaving them alone. These creatures evolved over millions of years, and are very specially formed to take care of themselves in a natural environment. The best way to help them is to allow them to live the way they are adapted to, free from human interference. Usually, they know what’s good for them better than we do! There are a few important guidelines to follow when dealing with wildlife.
Never Remove a Baby Animal
This is extremely important. Unless you know for certain that an animal has been orphaned (meaning that you see the dead mother right there in front of you), do not touch or move baby animals without first consulting a park ranger, wildlife rehabilitator, or other wild animal professional. It is extremely rare for an animal mother to abandon her young. Chances are, if you’ve found a baby animal and you don’t see the mother nearby, she sees you and is waiting for you to leave.
"Abandoned" Baby Deer
It is especially important to never move fawns, which are baby deer. A baby deer has no scent, so that predators cannot find it by smell. The mother deer leaves her baby in a hidden spot while she grazes. The baby knows to hold absolutely still and to wait there until its mother comes back. Since it has no scent, the mother can only find it by returning to exactly where she left it. If the baby is disturbed, the mother can lose it forever. If you find one, the best thing to do is to walk away.
Touching and Moving Animals
Many animals have special adaptations to help them avoid predators and to survive in their specific habitat. Some animals will be afraid to return to their nests if they are disturbed by human beings or pets, so it is important to avoid investigating their dens. Some snakes will not eat unless they are in familiar surroundings, so it is important to avoid moving them from their territory.
Sick, Injured, or Orphaned Animals
If you find a baby animal that you believe has been orphaned, or an animal that seems sick or injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator, park ranger, veterinarian, or game warden. They will tell you what to do to determine if the animal needs help, and how to help it until the rehabilitator can rescue it. Never touch a sick or injured animal without contacting a wildlife professional first. Touching a sick or injured wild animal can cause further damage to the frightened animal, and many of these animals are capable of injuring or killing would-be rescuers.
Remember that wild animals are not pets. Their needs are very different from domesticated animals’ needs, and it is often very difficult to keep them alive in captivity. Please make sure that, if you do find one who needs help, it is taken in by a trained wildlife professional.
Use Good Judgment With Wild Animals
Being respectful and knowledgeable is the first step in keeping human–animal relations running smoothly! Some good safety guidelines include:
- Never touch a wild mammal. If an animal approaches you, it is probably sick. Never, ever touch a wild mammal that is acting “friendly” or strange. This can be a sign of rabies. If an animal approaches you, move away as calmly as possible and find a local authority immediately. If you are bitten or have had any contact with the animal's saliva, blood, or other fluids, report this to a park ranger or animal control professional immediately, and go to an emergency room. Rabies can be prevented by vaccinations but, once the disease has begun, very few victims survive.
- Know which animals may be in an area, and when these animals can be dangerous. Very large animals, like bears and mountain lions, can be especially dangerous when surprised, provoked, or protecting their babies. If you come across a bear or mountain lion, remain as calm as possible. Do not run! Running triggers their prey instinct, which will make them chase you. Many times, the animal will attempt to avoid you and will hide or run away. If it does not run away, try to scare it. A sign that an animal is about to attack is if it is staring at someone. If there are small children or pets with you, pick them up off of the ground. Loud noises, shouting, and making yourself look as large as possible can help. If you are wearing a jacket or loose clothing, hold it away from your body to make yourself appear bigger. Spread your arms and yell loudly. If this fails and the animal attacks, run toward it, rather than away. This may startle it into running away from you. In the event that the animal makes contact, fight back as hard as possible, do not attempt to “play dead” - anything that makes you seem like prey will make an attacking animal treat you like prey.
- Avoid being attacked in the first place. Do not sneak up on animals - walking very quietly is a bad idea. Carry a “bear can” filled with pebbles to keep from giving a bear nasty surprise - and to help make sure that a bear or mountain lion doesn’t give you one! Talking, whistling, anything that makes your presence known can protect you. It is also a good idea to walk in groups in areas where large predators live. Carrying loose clothing and walking sticks can make you look bigger and less like lunch, and keeping food out of the open can make you smell less like lunch, especially when camping. Bears have a very powerful sense of smell and are attracted to food and to things that smell like food, such as toothpaste. Make sure anything tasty-smelling is secured where it won’t attract unwelcome guests.
- Do not feed wild animals. Feeding wild animals makes them accustomed to humans. They become easy prey for hunters or malicious people, and often become “nuisance animals" - like the bears that invade trashcans and break into cars at campsites. Such animals are destroyed by game wardens because they threaten human safety and property. Even feeding small animals can endanger them. In the case of squirrels, it can artificially inflate their populations. Squirrels carry fleas that can carry bubonic plague. When squirrels are overpopulated, fleas are a danger. Many jurisdictions kill off squirrel populations if they seem to be getting too large, in order to prevent the transmission of disease to humans.
Feeding wild animals also endangers them with malnutrition. Wild animals have special dietary needs. When these needs are not met, the animals grow ill. Some wild animals become dependent on handouts and stop hunting normally in order to pursue human food. This behavior can lead to the animal’s death by malnutrition or starvation.
Respect Reptiles, Amphibians, and Bugs
Remember that the least appreciated animals are sometimes the most critical to ecosystems. Snakes, insects, frogs, spiders, earthworms - each has a special role in the scheme of nature. Remember, when you are in a field or forest, you are in their home. The next time you come across a “creepy-crawly", try watching its behavior and how it interacts with its environment. What you learn may surprise you!
Respect Wild Plants
The majority of threatened species are plants. Plants are the basis of food chains. When in a wild area, do not pick flowers or pull up weeds. ‘Live and let live’ is good advice with plants and animals. Try observing wild plants. You may find an entire ecosystem existing on a single flower stalk.
References:
Leave No Trace: Center for Outdoor Ethics
Finding and Helping Injured and Orphaned Baby Animals
Center for Wildlife Information: Be Bear Aware
Angela Libal - Angela Libal is a professional writer, proofreader, and copy editor. She specializes in educational writing and academic proofreading. Her ...
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