![\"baby](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-2.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota<\/span><\/a> (WRC) is a 501c(3) organization that provides quality medical care and rehabilitation for all injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals \u2013 admitting more than 18,000 patients (spanning over 200 different species) annually. They are known worldwide for their work with lead toxicity in Trumpeter Swans and turtle shell repair. Additionally, they work hard to educate the community about our local wildlife.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Springtime is a busy season for WRC as they prepare baby animal nurseries and help many orphaned and injured wildlife. One of the main questions WRC gets asked is how to determine if an animal needs to be brought in.<\/p>\n For adult wildlife, it\u2019s often easier to make that decision. <\/span>A general rule of thumb is if you can walk over and pick up an adult wild animal, something is very wrong,<\/span><\/b> and the animal should be brought to WRC immediately. No need to call first.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, baby wildlife can be trickier to assess since not all of them have a fear of humans instilled in them yet. You might be able to pick up a baby bunny, and it\u2019ll just look at you. When in doubt, call WRC \u2013 they don\u2019t answer live calls, but they will return your call within an hour. They will help you determine the situation and best next steps.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A common springtime scenario in Minnesota is discovering a nest of baby bunnies in your backyard<\/span> with<\/span> no sign of Mom<\/span> nearby<\/span>. If you experience this<\/span>:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Note:<\/em> <\/strong>Baby bunnies only spend three weeks (about 21 days) <\/span>in<\/span> the nest! <\/span>So,<\/span> if you see an older baby rabbit \u2013 which <\/span>are<\/span> fluffy instead of sleek and <\/span>have<\/span> upright ears \u2013 they are on their own! <\/span>Don\u2019t<\/span> worry about them!<\/span><\/p>\n Before you let your dog out in the morning to roam your backyard where a nest is, you can use a laundry basket to help protect the nest! Simply flip the basket over the nest and put stakes through the handles or an opening to prevent your dog from pushing the basket over. You may have to tell your dog \u201cno\u201d a few times before they ignore it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cats should be kept inside. They shouldn\u2019t roam for a variety of reasons, including their tendency to injure wildlife, especially songbirds which are already in decline. Injuries to wildlife from a cat are much worse than from a dog! Cats also carry a bacterium, so even one little puncture wound can kill a baby bunny. Instead, we highly recommend building a \u201ccatio\u201d – an outdoor enclosure to allow cats to safely be outside.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When Mom\u2019s foraging, her fawn may be alone for 8-10 hours at a time in its first six weeks of life. Often, the fawn will curl up under a tree, against your garage, or even on your front steps. Younger fawns will sleep most of the time, but older ones may wander around \u2013 they may even approach you or your dog! If the fawn gets spooked and crosses the street or goes into a neighbor\u2019s yard, don\u2019t worry, it will reunite with Mom. The fawn will cry for Mom and Mom will snort or stomp her hoof to attract the fawn.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you notice the fawn displaying signs of distress, then it\u2019s time to safely contain the fawn (without chasing it) and bring it to WRC. Signs of distress are as follows:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mom and wildlife are programmed to survive and to reproduce. Mom is going to take care of those babies! Often, wildlife rescue centers like WRC reunite handled baby animals, despite having various foreign scents, with Mom once they\u2019re healthy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Mom’s nurturing instinct overrides any concerns about unfamiliar scents.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n For safe containment and transportation for wildlife, contact WRC \u2013 <\/span>they’ll<\/span> guide you! Be especially cautious with species like bats and raccoons, which may carry rabies. Your city\u2019s animal control<\/span> agency <\/span>may also be able to <\/span>assist<\/span> with wildlife c<\/span>ontainment.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Basic signs to <\/span>immediately<\/span> bring a wild animal to WRC:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you would like to support the important work WRC does here in Minnesota to help our local wildlife, you can visit <\/span>their<\/span> <\/span>website<\/span><\/span><\/a> to learn of ways to volunteer or <\/span><\/span>donate<\/span><\/span><\/a>. We also recommend following them on social media to see their team in action & <\/span>more of <\/span>their neat patients!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Photos courtesy of Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Young](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-2.png\")
<\/p>\nBaby Bunnies in Your Backyard<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"A](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/7.png\")
<\/p>\nProtecting Bunny Nests from Pets<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Dogs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Cats<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Two](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-3.png\")
<\/p>\nFawns<\/span> in Distress<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
![\"A](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2-3.png\")
<\/p>\nWill Mom Reject <\/span>the Baby if Handled by Humans?<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/5-2.png\")
<\/p>\nGuidelines to Tell if a Wildlife Animal is Injured & Might Need Intervention:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
![\"A](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/6-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/8-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.aercmn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Untitled-design-79-300x169.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n