Wildlife not to be treated as domestic pets

It’s about vacation time for families – a time to venture out of home towns and into the mountains for camp sites and resorts many of which are in the high country and wilderness areas, where wildlife flourish. But even in the valley wildlife is found year round.

One thing I discovered early in my life is that those cute little newborn critters are so adorable a lot of us just can’t bear to see harm come to them and they are cropping up this time of year, even in residential communities as people encroach their territory.

Take the fawn on the side of the road lying resting and its mother is off foraging a meal. It doesn’t mean the fawn is necessarily an orphan. But if the doe is seen lying on the road having been hit by a car, it may be a problem for the fawn, if its mother died.

A lot of people have that instinct to help. But wildlife requires special handling we novices lack professional knowledge to deal with them. The best thing to do is to call the Fish and Game folks and they will relay messages to proper rehab specialists that deal with various forms of wildlife.

There are people who care for fawns right in the middle of Shasta County and Fish and Game can reach them to take rescue action, treat them for any injuries and later when they have recovered and are totally acting on their own, be released back to the wild.

I’m not an expert with wildlife and most people are not either.

Many visitors travel from big cities to the mountains around us here in the North State and bring their pets with them. Some of the locals do the same. Pets and wildlife do not mix well and a well behaved dog if not kept under control can chase after wild critters, rabbits, squirrels and especially fawns and even thought their intent is playful, the wildlife can be injured trying to escape.

So keeping your pets secure from any chance of running amok on a camping trip or at a mountain resort is important for the safety of people and animals.

There are also laws that prohibit taking wildlife into domestic possession and trying to make them pets while out vacationing and recreating. Some people actually don’t realize this.