Every spring and summer the RSPCA is contacted by thousands of people who find what they think is an abandoned young bird or other orphaned animal.
In most cases these youngsters have not been abandoned and ‘rescuing’ them may do more harm than good.
Their mother is usually close by and looking out for them – human interference can lessen a young animal’s chances of survival.
Don’t panic if you see a young wild animal on its own.
If you find a young bird
out of its nest, it is probably a fledgling. Fledglings of garden birds usually leave the nest about two weeks after hatching – just before they can fly. They will have grown all or most of their feathers and are very mobile and can walk, run and hop on to low branches.
Don’t try to return a fledgling to its nest as you may disturb other young birds. Fledglings are fed by their parents who are rarely far away, encouraging the youngsters to stay in cover. Often one parent will look after the fledgling while the other makes a nest for a second or even third brood of young.
If you are worried,
go straight away from the site and return in an hour or so. You will almost certainly find that the natural parents have taken care of the youngster. Young animals which are in immediate danger from a predator or traffic should be placed out of harm, a short distance away.
Between April and July each year the RSPCA collects over 20,000 young birds.
If you think a bird
is genuinely orphaned – for example both parents have been killed by a cat or it is clearly sick – put it in a dark, warm box and take it to your nearest veterinary surgeon or RSPCA centre for on-going treatment and rehabilitation.
If you find an unfeathered bird that has fallen out of the nest (probably by accident), this should also be brought into care immediately.
Fawn
If you come across a young deer,
please remember that they are also very resilient in the wild but very difficult to rehabilitate. Once removed from their natural habitat, they often die from stress.
If you see a fawn,
the chances are it is witing for its mother. Roe deer give birth in May and June and fallow deer mostly have their young in June. Fawns can walk within an hour of being born and follow their mother unless she intends travelling long distances for food. In this case the mother will lead the fawn to a quiet covered area where it will stay well hidden until her return.
Fox cub
Learning about life
It is not uncommon for four-week old fox cubs to be seen outside their earth. Cubs learn how to develop their survival and hunting skills by spending their days alone, in or around patches of cover above ground.
Parent foxes or close relatives are usually nearby and, although the cubs may look vulnerable, intervention would probably do more harm than good.
If you are concerned about a fox cub
which is obviously sick, injured or distressed, contact the RSPCA for advice. Otherwise leave a supply of dog food and water nearby and check again after 24 hours.
In an emergency, keep handling to a minimum and take the cub to a veterinary surgeon or an RSPCA wildlife hospital or animal centre immediately. Make a note of exactly where you found it.
If you see a young hedgehog
out during the daytime it may be unwell or in trouble, in which case you should phone the RSPCA. for further information on how you can help to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly, visit the RSPCA website at http://www.rspca.org.uk.
Remember – no matter how hard you try, you cannot look after a young animal as well as its parents. If you find a baby bird or mammal on its own and you really want to help, leave it alone – if you are worried come back later check all is well.
RSPCA Contact numbers:
For general information please call the RSPCA on: 0870 33 35 999 (during office hours).
If you need to report an injured animal please ring 0870 55 55 999. Your call may be recorded for operational purposes.