The picture on the left obviously evokes emotion. It’s a fawn and a bobcat kitten which sought refuge wherever they could to escape a recent forest fire in California. Wildfires make for strange bedfellows I suppose. Few among us can look at that and not say, “Awww.”
However, in nature we are the only creatures to harbor such sentiment. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing. She pulls no punches. She’s indiscriminate and in the minds of many she can be a cruel lady. Every year, a percentage of all young wildlife will die, for one reason or another. It’s just the way things are.
This is the time of year in which everything springs anew. Grass greens up, flowering trees and bushes are in full blossom, and the offspring of last fall’s mating season are getting their first start in life. It’s not uncommon to find a lone fawn in a hayfield. A young hatchling bird may be struggling on the ground having left the confines of its nest. Curious raccoon or skunk kits will nose around alone, still learning fear is their best defense.
Too often, well meaning folks will wrongly assume those young critters have been abandoned by their mother. Chances are likely this isn’t the case at all. In fact, a doe will leave her fawn alone because it is yet to develop scent and her mere presence nearby would attract predators which would otherwise never be able to smell out the young. In a futile attempt to intervene, people will remove the animal and show up at the DNR office or will try to raise it on their own. It rarely has a happy ending and often seals the doom of that otherwise normal offspring.
“They kill them with kindness,” DNR biologist Scott Warner explained to me in a recent interview.
Wild animals are not good pets. We all know somebody who has adopted some critter in its infancy and raised it at home. However, that’s not a good situation. In a couple of months having a young skunk or raccoon in the house won’t be so “cool” anymore. There’s always a chance they’ll turn on you and bite as instinct takes over and you could quickly put your family into a dangerous situation.
Plus, there are state laws against harboring wildlife. If the Natural Resources Police show up and find those animals in your possession, big fines could follow.
Most wildlife officials recommend if you have an encounter with a young critter, enjoy the moment. Maybe take a picture. But don’t touch it and leave the area quietly. The adult is probably nearby and will return. If they don’t the process of natural selection will play out.
It’s hard for us as kind hearted humans to accept, but Mother Nature–vile as she may seem at times–does take care of her own in one way or another.