It seems like every spring we get questions at Country Pet Shoppe from people who have discovered animals — especially baby animals — in need of help and want to know what to do about it.  I decided to go to the West Sound Wildlife Shelter website (westsoundwildlife.org) to see what information they had to offer. I found they have a wealth of information about how respond if you find a baby animal.

First, it’s important to understand how wild animal parents take care of their babies. Many parents will leave their babies unattended for several hours at a time (as many as 15 hours is not uncommon). This allows the parents to eat and actually keeps their babies safer as they are less likely to attract predators.

Also be aware that fawns and seal pups will frequently appear lethargic if you approach which can make them appear ill.  The lethargy is normal; it makes the youngster stay quietly hidden while their mother is gone. So, if you come across a baby animal without its parents nearby, don’t assume that it is in need of help. If you are concerned that the mother of a nest of baby rabbits, squirrels, or other small animals may have died, check back in 24 hours.  If the babies are warm and plump then mom is sneaking in and caring for her young just as she should. The best thing you can do is keep clear and keep children and pets away from the nest. You don’t want to prevent mom from feeling safe approaching her nest to tend to her young.

Baby birds are probably the most commonly found critter. If the baby doesn’t have feathers yet, put it back into the nest if you can. If you can’t reach the nest, go to the shelter website for information on making a secondary nest.  The parents will find their baby and tend to it.

If the baby has feathers, it is probably a fledgling.  Fledgling birds have left the nest and are being taught by their parents how to forage and feed themselves.  This is normal. If the baby is in a dangerous place, move it to a nearby safe spot, like a bush or low branch. The parents are most certainly hiding in a nearby tree and will take over from there.

If a small animal nest is destroyed, help can be as simple as creating a new nest from a box and placing it nearby so the parents can find their young and tend to them.

If you do find an injured animal, or truly abandoned babies, contact the shelter.  Although it might seem like a great idea to tend to the baby yourself, caring for baby animals is very difficult task as they have very specific needs, both physically and socially.  Although you might feel like you are doing a good thing nurturing the little critter, you’re likely hurting its chances of longterm survival. The best bet is to leave it to the experts.

Contact the shelter at (206) 855-9057 or www.westsoundwildlife.org.