The Department of Fish and Game urges the public to be wary of young wildlife that may appear orphaned during this time of year.
Southcentral Wildlife Public Info Officer Ken Marsh said often times the animal’s mother is just out of sight distance.
Marsh: “If you approach the youngster, the calf or the cub there’s a real good chance that the mama’s nearby and she’s not going to be happy to see you.”
He said often times people approach wildlife with good intentions.
Marsh: “Handling wildlife is actually illegal, a well meaning person might encounter a moose calf or something like that and think they’re doing the right thing by picking it up and taking it somewhere in fact it’s actually illegal, you could receive a citation for that. The right thing is to go ahead and call the qualified experts at fish and game and we’ll take care of it.”
Marsh also commented on the recently rescued wolf pups which he said was handled great.
Marsh: “Our area biologist Jeff Selinger was called and was able to go to the scene and evaluate the situation, whether or not the parents were likely to return, and then make that decision, because that’s his call, to make the decision as to whether or not the wolves should be moved.”