Best Way to Save Wildlife Babies: Leave Them Alone
May 16, 2019 (STATEWIDE) – A newborn moose calf found alone in the woods – or even in your backyard – can appear helpless and abandoned. But don’t be fooled. Destitute as those big-eyed babies may seem, a protective mother is almost always nearby.
Newborn moose calves, deer fawns, and tiny bear cubs are already being seen in Alaska, the first of many calves, cubs, kits, and chicks Alaskans can expect to appear statewide between mid-May and the end of June. Biologists are warning Alaskans who may encounter wildlife babies to resist the urge to approach or “rescue” them.
Cow moose can be particularly dangerous during calving season, warns Anchorage Area Wildlife Biologist Dave Battle. Attacks on people and pets by cows aggressively defending calves are reported each spring.
“You’ll want to give moose calves plenty of space,” said Battle. If a moose calf or bear cub is encountered without its mother immediately in view, be alert in case you’ve walked between them. The best course of action is usually to back away and leave from the direction you came. Also, do not assume young animals found alone are orphaned. Mother moose and bears frequently walk out of sight, cache their young, or become separated from them by fences or roads. Sow bears often send cubs up trees to wait before leaving to find food. In nearly all cases, the mothers return to their young
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