Exploring Nature: Wildlife Babies

This is a time when lots of wildlife babies are being born and many of them are unnecessarily picked up by well-meaning people who think they are making rescues.

Beth Young has some advice for these folks: “In most cases, leave the babies alone — their mothers will take care of them.”

An experienced wildlife rehabilitator, Young has about 15 animals under her care at her Wimberley home. These include a mother raccoon and her baby, three possums, two squirrels and one skunk, which was hit by a car.

She tends to them all, with the ultimate goal of releasing them, with permission, on private property where they will have an excellent chance to survive and thrive.

Baby fawns are often left alone by their mothers for up to 14 hours at a time. The mother searches around for food and generally will return to feed her baby just after dusk and again just before dawn. According to Young, the fawn can usually run after 7-10 days and soon will join the mother in foraging. So there is a short window when it is left alone.

In addition to fawns, baby birds also get into trouble. If you come across a blown-down nest, and it is relatively undamaged, with young birds or eggs inside, just replace the nest in the tree from which it fell.

If you see grounded baby birds with downy feathers, keep in mind they are usually being fed by a parent during the few days before being capable of flight.

If you have questions about abandoned wildlife, Young will be glad to provide answers. Just call her at 512-971-1260.

And if you would like to support her rehab efforts, send a check, made out to DriftInn Widlife Sanctuary, to 101 Highpoint Drive, Wimberley, Texas 78676. It’s tax-deductible.