Let’s face it, wild animals are extremely cool and can be adorably cute – but they often aren’t abandoned, don’t need rescuing, and make downright terrible pets. A baby wren never ceases to warm the heart as it chirps for a worm and a garter snake may impress all your friends as it coils itself around your arm, but neither should be removed from their wild world.
WILD INTERVENTION
Sometimes animals are taken from the wild by a would-be rescuer who only has the well-being of the critter in mind. But even if an animal appears orphaned, injured, or otherwise threatened, your first action should be to contact an expert, such as a veterinarian or licensed wildlife rehabilitator, rather than dealing with the animal on your own. Animals that appear to be orphaned or injured may not always be. And a seemingly motherless baby may just be in hiding while the parents search for food.
You can call the Susquehannock Wildlife Society at 443-333-WILD (9453) and we’ll be glad to talk you through it or put you in touch with the right entity to answer your questions and deal with the animal appropriately.
IMPERFECT PET
Even if you only plan on temporarily removing the animal from the wild – taking it home for a little while to show your family or to take some photographs – the impact on the individual and species can be devastating. Nowadays almost everyone carries around a cellphone. Snap a few photos or a short video of the animal in its natural habitat and avoid any chance of injuring the animal, exposing it to infection, stressing it out, or removing it from its regular eating/breeding/hibernating cycle.
END THE DERBY
Each year, thousands of people will gather in downtown Bel Air to enjoy the town’s annual Fourth of July festivities, which, unfortunately for local wildlife, still includes the popular, yet alarmingly dangerous Turtle Derby and Frog Jumping contests. These races, while part of the local celebration for decades, appear fun for the reptiles and amphibians involved, but the sad truth is that they’re likely running for their lives. Disease and inadvertent mistreatment of the animals have taken their toll on many of the species involved and threaten the future of local wildlife.
Deadly diseases such as Ranavirus are easily transmitted when animals come in contact with one another, especially during stressful situations. These frogs and turtles “race” because they are frightened and their natural instinct tells them to find a place to hide from potential predators. Creating stressful situations for these animals for our amusement is both dangerous and cruel.
Most of the animals used for these races are taken from the wild. Some are rare and declining species that are never returned, while others are not released into the same areas they were found. Reptiles and amphibians are also known to carry a variety of diseases and bacteria that can create a high potential for illness in humans coming in contact with them. In Maryland, it is illegal to possess certain wild species or to possess more than a certain quantity of other species. It is also illegal to release a wild animal that has been kept in captivity if it has been in contact with any other reptiles or amphibians.
Please think twice about removing any animal from its natural habitat.
Help Keep Wildlife Wild!
