People and Wildlife

by Marlee Pyott

In 2008, humans passed a critical threshold from which we will likely never return. As of 2008, over half of the world’s human population is living in urban areas. Prior to this, over half of the world’s human population was living in rural areas. In Canada, however, this threshold was surpassed almost 70 years ago and as of today, 81% of Canadians live in an urban area. This has had an irreversible impact on our environment, especially on native wildlife populations. Most animals are admitted into wildlife rehabilitation centres as a result of human activity. Thus, as our population increases and our cities expand into natural habitats, more animals are at risk of injury. With animals and humans interacting more and more every year, educating the public on animal welfare has become increasingly important. Working at a wildlife refuge centre has given me the opportunity to work closely with many amazing animals and help them get back into the wild. 

An eagle that was hit by a car, could not walk, and had to be hand-fed every day. 

​Although I love working closely with many of these animals, I realize the best way that I can help them is to actually prevent them from ever ending up in a wildlife centre. It sounds simple: be kind to animals, stop for turtles... right? Things get more complicated when dealing with baby animals that are not always in an obvious state of danger, and yet, one of the top reasons animals are brought in is because people mistake them to be abandoned. Most baby animals do not need help unless they are visibly injured (ex: bleeding, limping, or a drooping wing), or look unwell (ex: lethargic, dehydrated, or drooping eyes).

If you find a baby animal, it is very important to wait long enough to see if the mother will return. Did you know that different animals require different wait times for their mothers to  return? For example, fawns and snowshoe hares are left alone all day. These babies have an anti-predator strategy of camouflage, so they stay very still and wait for their mothers to return. Unfortunately, this strategy looks like they are in need of help to humans, and thus, they get taken away from their mothers. This is why they have a wait time of at least 24 hours!

Baby squirrels on the other hand, have a wait time of about 6-8 hours, depending on their age and health condition. Other baby animals, however, such as groundhogs and beavers are rarely seen above ground on their own; so if this does happen it is very likely they are orphaned and need help right away.  

If you ever find an animal that you think might be in need of assistance, call the closest wildlife centre for advice before you act. A list of Ontario wildlife centres can be found here. The kindest thing we can do for our wildlife is to treat them with the respect they deserve and allow them to stay wild.

​A white-tailed deer fawn that came into the wildlife rehabilitation centre after he was found on the side of the road where his mother was killed by a car. Fawns imprint very easily and so we are extremely careful not to spend too much time with them. When we do feed ungulates, such as moose and deer species, we wear lab coats and face masks to prevent imprinting. 

A fox kit from a litter of 4; all of which were found abandoned after their mother had died. 

About the Author

Marlee is a Zoology graduate from Laurentian University. She has been volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation centre for three summers. Recently, she was offered a position as a team lead, which gives her the opportunity to work closely with the veterinarian, educate the public, and guide fellow interns and volunteers. She hopes to continue helping wildlife and educating others.