To Help Baby Animals Survive, Leave Them Alone

They look so cute and helpless, but your efforts to help them could harm the animal and reduce its chances of survival.

It’s important to understand that wildlife care for their young much differently than humans. One strategy that some species, particularly those typically preyed upon by other animals (deer, rabbits, birds), 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 can also distract a predato...