So you found a baby mammal...
Mammals
Baby mammals are often found after storms, trees are trimmed, if one is sick or injured or if mom has died and the babies are trying to look for food on their own. If the baby appears healthy, she WILL try to retrieve it if her baby is warm and healthy. She won't take back a cold baby. She will think it is sick or dying. Fill a plastic water bottle with hot water, cover it with a sock and place it near the baby. If it is wandering, take a cardboard box filled with nesting material and nail it 8-10 feet up in the tree to protect it from dogs and cats. Walk away. As the baby cries, others will come out to see what is wrong. Remember: they won't come if you are standing there taking pictures.
Mammals - Injured
If a mammal is obviously injured and/or cries excessively (with no mom response) it is important to contact a wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible. A good time to wait is 2-3 hours in good weather or until dark. A rehabilitator can help determine if it needs to be rescued immediately or if you should wait. Call us!
Never try to feed an injured animal! Some wildlife (like the opossum) have to be tube fed. Feeding a cold or injured animal can kill it. Call for help before you google.
Baby Deer
Please DO NOT MOVE the baby. Mother deer hide their babies in tall grass or near a tree. Baby deer do not have any scent for the first few weeks of life, but mom does. If she stays with her baby she will attract predators. So she leaves it for hours at a time, returning at dawn and dusk. When something approaches it - a healthy fawn may flatten itself to the ground and freeze. If a fawn is bleeding or obviously injured, covered in flies/ticks, crying nonstop, running after you, lying stretched out on its side or next to its dead mother, please call for help. NEVER feed cow’s milk, or other formula as deer have delicate digestive systems.
Baby Bunnies
Step one: PUT THE BABY BUNNY BACK! If it's eyes are open, it's ears are up and it is at least 3-4 inches long (or you had to chase it) the baby does NOT need your help! Rabbits build their nest in shallow depressions on the ground. The mother returns to feed her babies twice a day. If a nest has been destroyed, rebuild it with grass and place an "X" over the top using sticks. Then walk away and don't come back until morning. If the "X" is disturbed she returned. If not, call for help. NEVER attempt to feed baby bunnies and remember: YOU are a predator.