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To help baby animals survive, leave them alone

by The Western News
| June 21, 2024 7:00 AM

They look so cute and helpless. But your efforts to help could end up harming the animal and reducing its chances to survive.

It’s important to understand that wildlife care for their young much differently than humans. One strategy that some species, particularly those species typically preyed upon by other animals (deer, rabbits, birds), use is to distance themselves from their young for many hours at a time. 

This helps to keep predators away from their young. For example, fawns are born without a scent, and it is safer for them if their mother, who has a scent, is not nearby. This also can potentially distract a predator into focusing on the doe rather than its offspring.

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