I love babies. Ducklings, goslings, bunnies and fawns are all cute as can be. But working at a nature center during nesting season can sometimes be hard. We get so many calls about folks finding baby animals “abandoned” by their mothers. While on occasion a mother may die, it’s much more likely she is out feeding or sleeping nearby and has hidden her babies as to not draw attention to them. Inevitably, a person will happen across them in this very circumstance.
Rabbits for instance are notorious for leaving their babies or kits all day long. To be honest with you, they aren’t very good parents. They may come back to their nest once a day to feed their young, but that’s it. Their strategy is to not draw attention to their kits, but just as often, a predator may stumble onto the nest and the vulnerable young are easy pickings.
Read the complete column in the May 7 Kossuth County Advance.