Injured and Orphaned Wildlife

​​​​Keep Wildlife Wild

Avoid the temptation to “rescue" a fawn or other baby animal from the wild. You just might be taking it away from its mother.

Wildlife biologists recommend leaving wildlife alone that appear to be abandoned. While well-intentioned people may believe they are helping an animal by “rescuing" it, they may be doing more harm than good. This is because baby wildlife found in the wild are virtually always not really abandoned.

White-tailed deer, rabbits and other species of wildlife leave their young for extended periods of time each day, only to return and take care of them. Many bird species can only learn to fly by experimentation. This includes falling out of the nest. If a person discovers a young mammal or bird, they should not handle it and should keep children and pets away from it. Staying away from the young animal reduces stress on the animal and increases the likelihood that the mother will return to care for it.

Landowners may encounter deer fawns and ground-dwelling birds and other mammals while mowing fields or walking around their property. Consider cutting back on mowing until later in the season because fawns lie out in the fields for the first two weeks after they are born. Other animals that use grasslands are species of concern and of high importance, and mowing during the breeding season can be detrimental. Rabbits may continue nesting into the summer months. Homeowners who discover nesting rabbits in their yard might consider placing a flag or other marker to provide a visual cue to avoid that spot when mowing. From rabbit nests to newly fledged birds to white-tailed deer fawns found curled up in cover and more, resist the urge to take matters into your own hands.


It is Illegal to Remove Young Wildlife from the Wild

If you remove young wildlife from the wild, you are risking citation, and a captive wildlife permit will not be issued for illegally taken wildlife. These animals should be left in the wild or returned there, and legal recourse for injured and orphaned wildlife is the prompt transfer of these animals to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator.

See the law: 301 KAR 2:081

Learn more about the transportation and holding of live native wildlife.​


Injured Wildlife

Wildlife should only be removed if it is in obvious need of medical care for immediate transfer to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Certain species of wildlife can be taken as pets only if you have a captive wildlife permit. Under state law, it is illegal to keep high-risk rabies wildlife as pets. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator can evaluate and treat an animal to release it back into its natural habitat. Rehabilitators can also help where the mother animal is confirmed dead, such as a road-killed deer. At no time should a person “adopt" a fawn or other baby animal as a pet.


Spreading Disease

Animals can carry diseases that are harmful to people. Diseases that pass from animals to people are known as zoonotic diseases.

One example of a zoonotic disease is rabies. Rabies is a virus that can affect any mammal, including people. The virus that causes rabies is transmitted via saliva and is 100% fatal in people if left untreated. Wildlife account for most cases of rabies in animals. Raccoons, skunks, bats, coyotes and foxes are the most common carriers of rabies in Kentucky. Animals may not look ill or show any symptoms of the disease, but still carry the virus. To protect yourself and your pets from rabies, do not approach, touch or handle wildlife.

People can also inadvertently spread diseases between wildlife. One such example is chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is a fatal neurologic disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and other members of the deer family. One of the leading ways CWD is spread is through the movement of deer. If someone illegally takes a deer from the wild and moves it to another location, that person can be spreading CWD if the relocated deer is infected. When Kentucky Fish and Wildlife discovers an illegally held deer, it must be confiscated and euthanized.

Removing other species of wild animals and moving them elsewhere also increases the risks of spreading diseases such as rabbit hemorrhagic disease in rabbits, distemper in raccoons, chytridiomycosis in amphibians and more.

 

Habituation is Dangerous for Wildlife and People

Wildlife that has become used to human presence and activity lose their natural fear of people. For example, if someone leaves out food to feed raccoons, the raccoons may come to see people as a food source. They may approach people for food or allow people to come close. These raccoons have become habituated to people or used to the presence of people through repeated exposure.

When wildlife become habituated, they can harm themselves and people. In the example with the raccoons, they may approach other people for food or cause damage to property. The raccoons may be seen as a nuisance and removed. The raccoons may also bite or scratch people and pets in fear or self-defense, even if they are habituated. Raccoons can carry rabies, which is a serious threat to people, pets and livestock. Any mammal that bites a person must be euthanized and tested for rabies.

Kentucky is home to many incredible species of wildlife. Help keep them wild by observing and admiring them from afar.