Dale Gienow, executive director for WILDNorth, a local wildlife rehabilitation facility, says they just got their first baby hare of the season. It’s the beginning of a deluge.
The following weeks in April will be filled with calls and people bringing in babies of many kinds, but hares in particular. So much so, that the facility has an adage specifically for them: If you find a baby hare, leave it right there!
That’s right; these hares are often unintentionally kidnapped — not rescued — by Edmontonians.
“These little guys are born fully furred with eyes open and ready to go on day one. And absolutely nature provides for them — mom will leave them alone and come back in the evening to round up the babies, nurse them, and leave them again,” says Gienow, explaining that the babies are born without any smell so they don’t attract predators the way a fully grown hare can.
Trouble is, people see these adorable guys on their own, and think they need help. But if someone does bring in an uninjured baby hare to WILDNorth’s in city in-take centre, staff simply bring them back to where they were found.
They’re such a sensitive species, they can actually be frightened to death, says Gienow, and so leaving them alone is their best chance of survival. The same goes for uninjured fawn — who are also left alone by their moms during the day — and also often brought in by well-intentioned folks who mistakenly think they’ve been abandoned.
Fledgling birds are another widely misunderstood group that will soon be found learning to fly in driveways and backyards, garnering many concerned calls to the wildlife centre. Again, kind-hearted people often think they are injured.
“This is the natural progress — and while they are on the ground, mom will dive down and feed them during those last few days until the muscles have developed and the wings have developed and they’re able to take flight,” says Gienow.
Granted, it is a perilous time for babies, as they can be attacked by predators out in the open. So if people have questions as to whether a fledgling, a hare, or any other creature needs help, it’s best they call the WILDNorth hotline. They have another adage for all wildlife situations: Ask before you Act.
A lot of what the wildlife facility does pertains to helping urbanites live in harmony with wildlife. During spring in particular, many creatures are looking for dens where they can raise their young.
“It’s an important time of year to wildlife proof their homes if they don’t want wild visitors in those places,” says Gienow. So, it’s important to make sure there are no holes that skunks or porcupines or coyotes can crawl into under porches. Basically, you don’t want these spaces to be comfortable for them. And you need to remove attractants — get rid of garbage, get rid of food, clean up fallen fruit from trees.
But if someone does get an unexpected wild visitor, they have a few options. It’s never a good idea in the spring, says Gienow, to try to move the animals since there may be babies in the den. And moving one skunk may mean several others will move into the area and establish territory.
“People often cause more of a problem when they don’t try to live in harmony with wildlife,” says Gienow.
In the case of skunks, people can just wait for them to leave — though obviously if there are dogs or kids at the home, that might not be possible. “They’re going to be there a few weeks until the little guys are old enough to disperse and make their way and leave. And they’re great neighbours — they eat grubs and wasps and are savvy in the city to having people around,” says Gienow.
Unlike their country counterparts, he says, urban skunks will not spray unless really threatened as they are used to being around people. “Unless you are a dog who tries to bite them or a person who tries to pick one up, they go about their business and are lovely to have around,” he says.
For those who are not able to open their porches to wild guests, Gienow says WILDNorth can give them some ideas on ways to help move them along on their own to find a natural den site. These suggestions include making lots of noise along with making it seem like a predator can actually get into the den by putting things like a small amount of synthetically produced urine right at the den site.
Geese also face challenges when it comes to nesting in the city. In the wild, they often nest in huge open spaces on the ground where they can see predators coming from a long way off. That’s not possible in the city, so geese look towards large rooftops where they are protected from predators. It works great for incubating their eggs. But once the babies are old enough to go to a water source, sometimes the height of the rooftops are an issue and they can’t safely come down. A one-storey building might be OK, says Gienow, but anything higher or with a big lip can pose risks.
Wild geese are protected in Canada, so once a goose builds a nest on a person’s property, the eggs and birds must be left alone. But you should let WILDNorth know about the nest so they can determine if the geese will need assistance after the eggs hatch.
WILDNorth encourages those with high balconies or large flat roofs to goose-proof them by scaring the birds away if they see them, or putting up some flapping flags on flower pots and such that will wave around in the wind, for example. But there are times when it still happens, especially on large buildings where it’s impractical to put up enough deterrents.
Every year, WILDNorth helps goslings in the downtown core. WILDNorth scares off the mom from the nest, and then wildlife rehabilitators scoop up the babies and take them down to the ground. The cheeping babies alert the parents who come down and the family is escorted the few blocks through the city to the water. “There are a couple major roads they have to cross and they don’t adhere to traffic walks so we have to help keep them safe,” says Gienow.
Unlike geese, ducks usually nest on the ground, but when the ducklings are two days old they are so small they often fall into sewer catch basins. In the first few weeks of June, the WILDNorth crew spends time doing dozens of catch basin rescues, says Gienow.
If people find a frantic mother duck or an obviously injured animal, they should call the WILDNorth hotline. But regardless the situation, Gienow encourages people to give them a call if there are questions about whether an animal requires a rescue before they try to help.
“You know, the river valley here in Edmonton is the largest green space of any North American city — it’s 20 times larger than Central Park — and the reality is, it’s teeming with wildlife, and we’re just going to be faced with this on a regular basis. So, it’s important to live in harmony with them,” says Gienow.
WildNorth
Hotline 780.914.4118 | wildnorth.ca/wildlife-concern/
