The Dakotan: This is Outdoor Issues with Neil Roberts and North Dakota Game and Fish Outreach biologist Greg Gullickson. Neil Roberts: It's a wonderful time of year as we get out and enjoy the nice weather. Nature has many beautiful sites, including young wildlife. But Greg, I know you have a few reminders for us. Greg Gullickson: Yeah, the Game and Fish Department just offers a simple message to well-intentioned who want to pick up and rescue what would appear to be orphaned baby animals, especially this time of the year. And that simple rule is don't touch them. Whether it's a young fawn, a duckling, cottontail rabbit or songbird. It's always best to leave them alone. Often those young animals are not abandoned. They're not deserted. And the mother is probably nearby. Young wildlife are purposely placed in secluded areas by adults to protect them from predators. Neil Roberts: All right, good stuff, Craig. And he will have more on young wildlife when we come back. The Dakotan: You're listening to Outdoor Issues with Neil Roberts on the Dakotan Network. 8 Neil Roberts: Talking Young Wildlife today on outdoor issues and Greg, remind us again why leaving young wildlife alone is so. Greg Gullickson: Important. Any time that a young wild animal has human contact, its chance for survival decreases significantly. And it's also illegal to take wild animals home and even for those well-intentioned humans. Captive animals later return to the wild will struggle to survive without possessing those learn survival skills from their mother. Oftentimes, both the male and the female that will teach them how to fend for themselves. The only time a baby animal should be picked up is if it's in an unnatural situation. So if you have a young songbird found on a doorstep, for example, in that case, the young bird can be moved to the closest suitable habitat. So keep that mind. If you have any questions, contact the gaming fish department if you need any advice. Dealing with young wildlife. I realize there's a lot of shows out there on TV that show the positive things of rearing wildlife, but usually those are left in a captive situation for the rest of their life. Neil Roberts: All right, great. Thanks for those reminders. And that puts a wrap on this report. Next time, I'm Neil Roberts. The Dakotan: You're listening to the Dakotan Network. Real, Honest, Local News.
