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Found a Baby Wild Animal

Baby Ducks

​​​​Wild animals, like any species, have stages of life they must transition through to receive the necessities from their parents and build the essential muscles and skills to grow healthy and strong. If you come across a baby wild animal, do not assume that human intervention is required and/or that the young animal has been abandoned. Each species will be very different; however, hopefully, some of these points will help you determine whether to call animal services or leave the animal with its parents. Either way, no person should interact with the animal, leave water or food, or bring them into their house unless specifically directed to do so by a professional from a wildlife rehabilitation centre or Animal Services.​

​Fawns (baby deer) are only born in the late spring and early summer seasons. It is normal to find fawns that are quietly curled up and alone. This does not mean they are abandoned. Mothers do not want to attract potential threats to their babies; however, they are nearby, watching. If a fawn appears healthy, leave it alone and try to keep children and pets away from the area. If you are concerned about the fawn, monitor it from a distance and report to Animal Services so they can assess the situation.

If you find them in your swimming pool, encourage them to safely exit the water without touching them by:

  • Building a ramp of Styrofoam, a flutter board, pool noodles and a plastic board or a piece of wood.
  • Raising the water level in your pool allows them to get out on their own.
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  • Nests are usually located in a divot of the lawn and contain grass clippings and fur from the mother to provide protection to the babies. Baby rabbits found alone in a nest are usually not orphaned. Mothers feed baby rabbits only twice a day – at dawn and dusk. Mowing and raking yards can disturb rabbit nests. If a nest has been disturbed, put it back together and cover the babies with the grass and fur that originally covered them. To be able to check if the mother is coming to care for them, you will place small twigs in a grid pattern like a number sign over the nest. If the grid is disturbed after the next dawn or dusk, the mother is still caring for them. As much as we want to watch, protect and see what happens next, please do not stick around to see if mom comes, as she will not return until she knows it is safe – not to draw any attention to her nest and babies within. Baby rabbits leave the nest when they’re three weeks old and about the size of a chipmunk.
  • A fully furred rabbit with eyes open, ears erect and the ability to hop on their own, about the size of a chipmunk, is okay to be on their own. As small and helpless as they may look, they do not require our assistance and need to live this stage of their life.

  • Hatchlings and nestlings are baby birds with only some or no feathers. If found out of their nest, check the surrounding trees and bushes. Return the baby bird to its nest if you can find it, or call Animal Services if you are not able to locate the nest.
  • Fledglings are baby birds that have been pushed from their nest as they have outgrown it and need to develop the muscles to take flight. These birds can’t fly for the first seven to ten days outside of the nest, so they will hop and flop around on the ground. Because they are not able to fly at this stage, many people assume they are injured and/or abandoned by their parents. The parents are nearby and will continue to care for them. If you find a fledgling, do not touch or move it; it does not need help as long as it is moving around, chirping and generally looks healthy. If you feel the area the bird is in is unsafe, such as a parking lot, you can guide the bird to a safer location nearby and within sight of where it was found so the parents can still care for it.