It’s that time of the year again, when Missourians frequently
call us to report that they have “rescued” or found “orphaned”
wildlife or injured animals needing help. These may be young
rabbits or birds venturing from their nests, a deer fawn without
its mother or a snapping turtle that has left its pond and is
seen crossing a road. In most cases, the animals don’t need help
and would be best served by being left alone. In some cases,
such as a box turtle on a road, it can help to move them off the
roadway, if that can be done without endangering one’s own
safety or that of other motorists. That young deer fawn may
appear to be abandoned, but it is probably being watched by its
mother in hopes that the human will leave so that she can return
to tend it. That is not to say that all young animals survive to
adulthood; some will not survive and will help feed predator
species or scavengers that are also trying to survive. All wild
animals are part of nature’s food chain, and death is part of
the cycle of life. T