When you live as close to the bush as we do in these parts, encounters with wildlife are not that unusual. That can mean coming across a baby animal that you might suspect has been abandoned or orphaned.
Barbara Burkhardt is a fish and wildlife technical specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. She says mothers will sometimes stash their young while they go to forage for food.
“So just observe from a distance to see if there’s any interaction from the mom,” Burkhardt advises, “and if there’s nothing and there’s no response to the young one, then call the Ministry of Natural Resources or contact a wildlife rehabilitator.
“Deer and moose have no scent, so they can be well camouflaged and no predators will notice them. So she’ll go off and forage for a bit and then come back and check on her young ones.”
In the case of a bear – like the one in Schumacher on Wed., May 1 – call the Bear Wise line.