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Remember that scene from Disney’s movie Bambi when Bambi the fawn meets Thumper and Flower and all the other animal babies, and they frolic in the woods all by themselves? Modern directors might consider inserting more parental supervisors into the scene, but the original is actually fairly faithful to the way animals really raise their little ones. Mammals especially take a paws-off approach. Momma deer, squirrels and rabbits spend most of the day far away from their new babies, who are safer hidden than guarded by mothers who are walking advertisements for young, tender, helpless meals. Baby birds flutter clumsily to the ground attempting their first flights, but bird parents keep a close eye on their chicks from the bushes as they master new feathers.

This means that, in most cases, that helpless-looking baby animal you find under your oak tree is better off than if you “rescue” it. In fact, well-meaning people are often baby snatching without realizing it, leaving behind confused parents who expect to find their babies exactly where they left them, if not close by.

Aside from unintentionally kidnapping some critter’s baby, the assistance of people is often a more risky situation than leaving the little ones alone. People are nowhere near as good at being animal moms as animal moms are. Even licensed, experienced wildlife rehabilitators lose many of the babies they try to raise. And before you tell me the heartwarming story about your grandma who brought up an eternally returning baby crow by feeding it bread chunks soaked in milk, I need to level with you. Not to besmirch your grandmother’s memory, but very few attempts end successfully, and lots of folks who try end up doing more harm than they realize. Bread, dog food, ground chicken – nothing you have in your kitchen will satisfy the nutritional needs of a baby animal, not to mention all the other needs they have. And, even if Grandma had a gift, it might not be genetic.

It is always better to leave wildlife raising to professionals.

So what should you do if you find a baby animal? First things first: handling animal babies will not make their mothers abandon them. That is a myth! Tell all your friends! Now, here’s the run-down by species, with links to more information if you’re interested:

Squirrel kits: Leave these long-tailed squirmers in a small “nest” (towel-lined, open box) at the foot of the tree for mom to find. She’ll return them to the nest and raise them right.

Bird chicks: If it’s an ugly, pink, featherless baby, put it back in its nest, or make a nest from a small container (with holes for drainage!) and secure it back in the tree for the parents to find and feed. If it’s cute, fully feathered, and fluffy, leave it alone, and keep away your pets (and yourself) as long as possible. It’ll find its wings and fly away before you know it, and in the meantime, its parents will feed it while you’re not looking. Note: this applies mainly to songbird chicks, who grow in their first feathers and fledge early. Baby owls and hawks start off with white or grey down feathers, and it may be hard to return them to their high nests at this stage.

Bunnies: Put these back in their nest if their eyes are still closed, or they still have a “star” on their foreheads. If it’s peeking at you with open eyes and hopping away, leave it alone. It will be able to forage for itself.

Fawns: Leave fawns alone, and stay far far away! They’re a little dopey – they follow anything that moves, and it’s very hard to make them stay where they belong once they latch on to a person.

Opossum joeys: Frankly, these are the cutest, in my opinion. And here’s where you actually get to help. If you find a baby possie by itself, it’s really and truly an orphan. Its mama didn’t notice when it fell off her back, and she won’t come around again to look for it. And, since baby possies grow up in their mother’s pouch, they often survive accidents that kill their mother. So, as yucky as it might be, it’s often worth it to check dead opossums from May to August for babies in the pouch that might be savable.

Sometimes, human help is needed, though, so what should you do if you think you should intervene?

Know when to take a baby animal to a rehabilitator –  only if 1.) You know the parents are dead, or really, truly not coming back; or 2.) You see that the baby is injured.

Know what to do. First, put the baby in a towel-lined shoebox with holes in the sides. Add a bottle filled with hot water under the towel to help the baby stay warm. Then, take it to a rehabber as soon as possible. Don’t feed it anything, and keep it in a quiet, dark place. Be sure to leave a donation with the rehabber if you can, because, as I’ve mentioned before, rehabbers don’t have big budgets (or any budget), and a few dollars go a long way.

If you want to help more, volunteer your services to a rehabilitator. I’m not an official rehabber myself, I just play one (as a volunteer) one day a week. Many wildlife rehab facilities depend on volunteers, and they will train you to do everything you’ll need to know. If you’re helping with baby animals, the first thing they’ll show you is how to dodge bunny pee. They’re like four-inch, adorable, but unpredictable fountains… But they make the cutest faces.

*This post is pictureless, because if I showed you the adorable animal babies I take care of during the summer, you’d comb your own neighborhood for nests, and snatch all the little ones. And that would be a little counterproductive, now wouldn’t it?