TreeHouse Wildlife Center
Orphaned Wildlife
Orphans
Orphans are animals who have been separated from their parents through some extraordinary circumstance such as the death of a parent, the destruction and loss of a nest, den, or other habitat site, or by removal
Many orphans simply need to grow until they are old enough to be released back to their natural habitats. Orphaned birds and some mammals are placed with animal foster parents of their own species if possible, where they are able to observe and adopt their natural behaviors and habits. Young orphans are observed by Treehouse staff who administer basic care while keeping human contact to a minimum. Older orphans graduate from indoor cages to outdoor cages where they have more space for exercise and opportunity to adapt to various weather conditions.
What is an orphaned animal?
A bird on the ground that cannot yet fly? A litter of raccoons, eyes still closed, alone in their den tree? A young hairless squirrel on the ground next to a tree, screaming for help? A litter of cottontail rabbits with no mother in sight? A fawn lying in the middle of a field?
Alone, but not necessarily orphaned in all the above cases. These situations could be perfectly normal. Wildlife parents have to leave their young alone for several hours daily to forage for food. Birds feed their young on the ground the last 1 to 2 weeks before they're ready to fly. The young squirrel's cries for help are a way for the mother to locate him. Once located, squirrels can retrieve their young that fall from the nest. Remember, mother nature does the best job of raising its own if given a chance.
If a situation looks suspicious, first take a closer look at the "orphan". If it's warm, bright eyed, and without apparent injury, leave it alone and wait a couple of hours far enough away, to see if mother returns. If you can't wait, check back several hours later. Retrieve the young if the situation starts to deteriorate; if the young is cold to the touch, listless, etc., it probably is an orphan and will need human intervention.