Wildlife is meant to stay wild says local expert on the subject

As summer approaches, wildlife throughout Ohio are giving birth to the next generation of their species. While these new born animals may look cute, cuddly, or even abandoned, that doesn’t mean they require human intervention.

“People try to raise them as a pet, and unfortunately, you’re not allowed to possess wild animals. They end up becoming a problem,” said Matt Hoehn, a State Wildlife Officer Supervisor with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Division.

Hoehn said that raccoons can pose a danger later in their lives.

“When it gets to maturity, they tend to be more aggressive and people turn them loose,” said Hoehn. He said that once that raccoon is on the loose, the only thing they know is human contact, and they view humans as the source of their food.

“The first time it sees people, it’ll approach them. It creates fear in individuals and can cause the animal fear as well,” said Hoehn. Ultimately, the animal will be viewed as a problem, and will have to be dealt with.

“Fawns are being born as we speak, and we have news releases about that,” said Hoehn. He said that people tend to be soft-hearted, and when they see a fawn by itself, they assume its abandoned or orphaned.

“99 percent of the time it isn’t the case. The doe, mom, actually leaves the fawn for the majority of the day and come back at the evening and night to feed he fawn,” said Hoehn. When people spot a fawn by itself during the day, Hoehn said its usually because people are out enjoying nature, and happen across the animals.

“They think they’re abandoned and bring them home. That’s the worst thing you can do,” said Hoehn. He said that it isn’t common for a fawn to be abandoned or orphaned, but in those rare cases they are, there are facilities that can take them in.

Hoehn said that if a person does pick up an animal, that time is an important factor.

“The least amount of time its been inhuman contact, the less imprinting it has. So the possibility of it being successfully habilitated back in the wild is much higher,” said Hoehn. He said the longer an animal is in contact with humans, the less likely it can be reintroduced to the wild.

“We take it to a rehab and they’ll give it an assessment and make the determination whether it is a viable candidate to rehabilitate it back into the wild. So the best practice, is to leave them alone,” said Hoehn.

“The best thing to do, is if you have any doubt or questions, is to contact the appropriate professional which would be the Ohio Division of Wildlife,” said Hoehn. He said that when people call 1-800-Wildlife, or contact their county’s wildlife officer, they’ll be given technical guidance on what to do.

“We’re also able to go out and assess the situation to see if its an orphan, then we can go ahead and take care of that, and seeing if it needs to go to rehab or one of those facilities,” explained Hoehn.