County Conservation warns not interfere with young animals

WASHINGTON COUNTY — The spring season brings with it a new year of young animals, and with them, a heightened chance of human-wildlife interactions. Conservation officials have cautioned the public, however, not to interfere with young wild animals, even when found alone.

“A lot of times, this time of the year, they’ll see them and immediately think the parents left them,” Washington County Conservation Director Zach Rozmus said. “When it comes to raptors, specifically, fledglings are going to go through a period of time where they’re learning to fly. Inevitably, people are going to see them on the ground and think somethings wrong, but a lot of times it just means they’re learning.”

Rozmus said that young wildlife being left alone was a norm for many species.

“Just because a baby deer or baby animal is sitting off on its own, that doesn’t always mean that the parent has abandoned it,” Rozmus said. “A lot of these animals have adaptations, whether it be camouflage or something else, and their parents might have to leave them in order to feed, or maybe they’re getting food for them.”

As a rule of thumb, Rozmus said a hands-off approach was best for most encounters with wildlife.

“The answer isn’t always for humans to interject,” he said. “If we can remove ourselves, a lot of times, that’s the best thing we can do.”

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