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Let wildlife be wild
Wildlife and people are better off when they keep their homes separate.
MDC
6/13/03
JEFFERSON CITY- Well-meaning bird lovers take in fledgling robins that "fall" from nests. Misinformed hikers bring "deserted" fawns to conservation agents for help. Tenderhearted children adopt "orphan" raccoons. But according to the Conservation Department officials, such adoptions usually end in an animal's death and can cause problems for humans as well.
People adopt young wildlife for many reasons. One of the most common mistakes is thinking they are helping young birds. In most cases, fledglings do just fine on their own. Having grown too large for the nest, they flutter to the ground. They hide in weeds and brush, where their parents continue to deliver meals.
People often remove fawns or tiny rabbits from their natural surroundings because they find them alone and mistakenly think they are orphans. Deer and rabbit mothers stay away from their offspring, except when nursing, to avoid betraying their location to predators.
Such mistakes need not spell doom for young animals, however. If wild young are put back where they were found, normal care will resume. The notion that "human smell" will result in parental rejection is a myth.
Even knowing these facts, some people still can't resist adopting wildlife. Hollywood has created an immensely appealing image of playful, mischievous pets from the wild. But before you take home a cuddly raccoon kit, or a whitetail fawn, you should be aware of some not-so-pretty facts.
There are no approved vaccines to protect wild animals against rabies and other diseases, many of which can strike humans as well. If you want to adopt a wild animal, you have to accept this risk.
There also is the risk of sharing wild pets' parasites. One example is baylisascaris, a common parasite of raccoons. Eight of 10 raccoons have the round worm, but they have a natural resistance. Humans don't. Baylisascaris can cause serious illness in humans, particularly children.
Wild animals really don't make great pets. "Tame" white-tailed deer often become aggressive when fully grown and attack the humans who befriended them. Wild animals remain wild, regardless of how they are treated.
It is important to remember that even under the best of circumstances most animals born in the wild don't survive to adulthood. Birds and small mammals produce many more young each year than are needed to perpetuate their species. It is normal for eight out of 10 quail, rabbits and squirrels to die each year.
This knowledge, along with the potential for health problems and the fact that baby animals seldom survive removal from the wild, are reason enough not to adopt wildlife.
- Jim Low -
Wildlife and people are better off when they keep their homes separate.
MDC
6/13/03
JEFFERSON CITY- Well-meaning bird lovers take in fledgling robins that "fall" from nests. Misinformed hikers bring "deserted" fawns to conservation agents for help. Tenderhearted children adopt "orphan" raccoons. But according to the Conservation Department officials, such adoptions usually end in an animal's death and can cause problems for humans as well.
People adopt young wildlife for many reasons. One of the most common mistakes is thinking they are helping young birds. In most cases, fledglings do just fine on their own. Having grown too large for the nest, they flutter to the ground. They hide in weeds and brush, where their parents continue to deliver meals.
People often remove fawns or tiny rabbits from their natural surroundings because they find them alone and mistakenly think they are orphans. Deer and rabbit mothers stay away from their offspring, except when nursing, to avoid betraying their location to predators.
Such mistakes need not spell doom for young animals, however. If wild young are put back where they were found, normal care will resume. The notion that "human smell" will result in parental rejection is a myth.
Even knowing these facts, some people still can't resist adopting wildlife. Hollywood has created an immensely appealing image of playful, mischievous pets from the wild. But before you take home a cuddly raccoon kit, or a whitetail fawn, you should be aware of some not-so-pretty facts.
There are no approved vaccines to protect wild animals against rabies and other diseases, many of which can strike humans as well. If you want to adopt a wild animal, you have to accept this risk.
There also is the risk of sharing wild pets' parasites. One example is baylisascaris, a common parasite of raccoons. Eight of 10 raccoons have the round worm, but they have a natural resistance. Humans don't. Baylisascaris can cause serious illness in humans, particularly children.
Wild animals really don't make great pets. "Tame" white-tailed deer often become aggressive when fully grown and attack the humans who befriended them. Wild animals remain wild, regardless of how they are treated.
It is important to remember that even under the best of circumstances most animals born in the wild don't survive to adulthood. Birds and small mammals produce many more young each year than are needed to perpetuate their species. It is normal for eight out of 10 quail, rabbits and squirrels to die each year.
This knowledge, along with the potential for health problems and the fact that baby animals seldom survive removal from the wild, are reason enough not to adopt wildlife.
- Jim Low -
