BOZEMAN — Montana wildlife is in full swing right now. Spring babies are out and about and late born youngsters are just getting their first tastes of the real world. That's where we come in — and we should immediately back away.
“You know recreating in a place like this fishing access site here, there's a chance you might come upon young wildlife that was born maybe a few days previously. So, few things to keep in mind so that we can ensure the best chance of survival for those animals is to keep your distance’” advised Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Morgan Jacobsen. “Enjoy viewing wildlife from a distance if that animal's responding to your presence, potentially then you're too close.
One of the most popular rescue animals is deer. People find a fawn alone in the bushes and they assume it is abandoned when the reality is it was most likely left there as protection until Mom could return. You taking it away, destroys all of that protection.
“We don’t have the ability to rehabilitate deer often times what happens if people bring us a fawn that they've found we will just tell them go put it back where they found it,” Jacobsen told MTN. “Because that, you're taking that animal out of its wild habitat out of its element and that could be a step that's detrimental to wildlife.”
FWP has a simple way to remember all this: if you care, leave them there.
“Just leaving them in their habitat gets them the best chance at survival often times they do just fine even if they are orphaned. It’s, you know -- they're in their home so leaving them there gives them the best chance,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen notes that if you come upon an animal you think might be sick, simply report its location to FWP and they will take a closer look at that animal.
