CPW To The Public: Leave The Baby Wildlife Alone
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are pleading with the public to leave young wildlife alone.
The plea comes after they say four fawns were brought in to them by members of the public thinking the fawns were in trouble because they were alone.
CPW says that is not the case. They say the fawns are rarely abandoned by their mothers, and the public should never handle wildlife on their own.
The agency's Southeast Region office tweeted the first instance Wednesday morning.
A few hours later, they tweeted two more pictures showing officers unhappy after they received two more fawns.
"Instead of calling us when they see the fawns, people actually took these wild animals into their homes and tried to feed them cows milk. Only when the fawns responded with diarrhea did they call us to report them," said Bill Vogrin, an officer with CPW.
He went on to say they can't place the fawns back where they were found because by then the human scent has imprinted into the fawn, making them vulnerable to predators.
"Baby mammals are scentless in order to prevent predators from finding them," said Janet George, senior terrestrial biologist for CPW.
The officers then have to take the fawns to a rehab facilities with true, orphaned fawns. They tell CBS4 that creates another problem of space as the fawns found by the public take away placement opportunities for truly orphaned fawns.
Concerned citizens are welcome to call the CPW Denver Headquarters at 303-297-1192, or any CPW office, if they suspect an animal is injured or abandoned, or to report incidents of feeding or other illegal wildlife activity.
Callers can remain anonymous, contact Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648. Rewards may be offered if the information leads to a citation.
LINK: Spring Wildlife Advice
