by Jennifer Howard
This Corona-19 pandemic is far from over, but Mother Nature is still continuing on, full speed ahead. Maybe even fuller speed ahead.
Orphaned babies, sick and injured are pouring out of the woodwork. Please, if you see a mother, give her space; it’s only a matter of time before she and her family will move on. You can also try to make it uncomfortable for her and she may just move her family on her own to a safer place. They do have more than one den site usually.
Remember, since so many of us are staying home due to the pandemic, it’s much quieter. Wildlife is not used to this quiet and less people, so they are taking advantage of it; they do not know any differently.
Soon our busy society will be picking up again. Hopefully people will remember it’s not over yet so social distancing and hand washing/sanitizing still MUST be practiced. Staying home is still your best bet to stay healthy and keep others healthy. It’s not just about us, it’s about everyone and everything.
As for trying to make a wildlife mother move on from a nice dark quiet place to raise their young, put a light up and leave it on 24/7. Put a strobe light in the area or get coyote or fox scent, or even try fur from a good brushing of your dog or cat, both predators, or you can probably buy something like that from Cabelas or Pro Bass Shop. Put on the noisy talk radio; they don’t like it near the nest. But then leave them to it. If you keep hanging around and bothering them they may just leave a baby or two behind.