Tips given on how to help wildlife in trouble

Ever wonder what to do when you see wildlife looking like it’s in trouble? Do you leave it alone and let nature take its course or pitch in to help? The National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Ranger Rick® magazine provides some answers.

You see a baby bird hopping along the ground. When it tries to fly, it can only flutter. What should you do?

Sometimes a very young and helpless bird falls out of its nest and doesn’t know what to do. If you can reach the nest, you can put the baby back into it with no harm to the bird.

Despite popular myths, parent birds won’t reject a baby that’s been touched by humans, and you’ve saved the baby bird from being harmed by predators by placing it back in its nest.

While riding in a car, you see a turtle crawling across the road. What should you do?

Turtles often have to cross roads to get to where they can find food, mates, or places to lay eggs. If you see a turtle on the road, it’s okay to stop and try to help it across. Check to make sure it’s safe, then quickly pick up the turtle and carry it to the side it was heading toward.

While walking in the woods, you see a fawn lying on the forest floor. The mother deer is nowhere in sight. What should you do?

Like many other animals, a mother deer will leave her baby in a protected area while she goes off to find food. So it’s perfectly natural to find a fawn lying by itself. Don’t worry, its spotted coat helps it blend in with the forest floor, which keeps it safe from predators.

To learn more about helping to protect wildlife, check out NWF’s website online at www.nwf.org.

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.