Mothers Know Best!

We receive many calls regarding baby animals"”wildlife that appear in distress"”separated from their parents. Often goodhearted people jump in to rescue, but often these caring folks do more harm than good. On occasion, intervention does have a happy ending, but it often depends on quickly returning the young to their parents.

Educating people about the best course of action when finding baby wildlife is critical. Here are some pointers on what to do - or not do - if you find a baby animal.

"¢ Before doing anything, try to assess if there is a problem. If an animal is not clearly injured or orphaned, and if a grounded bird has its flight feathers, leave it alone, as the mother may simply be hunting for food.

"¢ If an animal has visible injuries or you saw the mother killed, call animal services to get professional advice on whether to touch or move the baby.

"¢ If you do move an animal, wear gloves to minimize risk of disease or injury to you or the animal. Place it in a well-ventilated box where it's not too cold or too hot and keep it away from children or pets until you can take it to the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center.

"¢ Don't feed a baby animal without guidance since the wrong food, such as baby formula or pet food, can do more harm than good.

To survive, animals need to get back to the wild as soon as possible"”or not leave it in the first place. Hard as it may be, leaving a baby alone often gives it the best chance of growing up to have babies of its own.