With Spring approaching, biologists are reminding folks not to touch baby animals they find in the wild.
The Michigan DNRE cautions us that deer and other animals usually give birth in the Spring, and people out enjoying a stroll through nature sometimes encounter young critters they believe have been abandoned by their mothers.
Wildlife biologist Brent Rudolph states that such animals don't really need help because their mothers are almost inevitably close by, even if not in sight.
He says it's common for does to leave their babies unattended for up to six hours or more at a time. The same holds true for rabbits, ground-dwelling birds such as pheasants and other animals.
The DNRE says many baby animals will die if people take them from their natural environment, and if we touch them their mothers may have nothing to do with them because of the human scent we leave on them.
The bottom line is if you see an abandoned baby in the wild it most likely isn't and the best thing to do is enjoy the sight briefly and then move away.
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