Be careful when walking: How to protect young wild animals!

Be careful when walking: How to protect young wild animals!

Spring not only brings new life into nature, but also a growing danger for many young animals. Every year countless numbers of them are picked up by walkers, often out of false concern. “We keep receiving calls from concerned people who find seemingly abandoned young animals,” emphasizes Alexios Wiklund, press spokesman for the Austrian Animal Welfare Association. But this is rarely necessary, as most young animals, such as brown hares, are housed in safely hidden nesting places and are regularly cared for by their mothers. Alfred Kofler, the head of animal care at the Assisi farm, explains that brown hare mothers deliberately hide their young in shallow hollows in the earth, so-called Sassen, to protect them from predators.

Important rules of conduct for nature lovers

Particular caution is required during the current hare breeding season, which lasts from February to October. Hiking and spending time in nature are attracting more and more people, but wildlife offspring are particularly vulnerable at this time. The older ones among us should stay on the paths, reduce the noise level and keep dogs on a leash as they could come dangerously close to the young animals. The animal welfare association warns against touching supposedly orphaned young animals, as human smell can cause their parents to reject them. This puts the survival of animal children at risk because “wild animals are not pets,” reminds the state hunting association and warns of the devastating consequences of human intervention.

A particularly impressive case is the rabbit boy found in Simonsfeld, who was lying in a paddock without a mother and in immediate danger. After contact with the animal welfare workers, the young animal appears to be “on the right track” and will soon be moved to a wildlife station before it is finally released into the wild, said Kofler in an interview noe.ORF.at. Such incidents highlight how crucial it is to behave considerately in nature and to give wild animals the space and protection they urgently need to survive, as well German animal protection publisher warns.