Wildlife & Encounters
Found a baby animal? It's probably not abandoned
The plain answer: that 'abandoned' baby almost certainly isn't. The kindest thing — and the legal thing — is to leave it alone. Picking up wildlife usually hurts it, can expose you to disease, and is against the law without a permit. Watch from a distance, keep pets in, and the parent will most likely come back.
The "abandoned" baby almost always has a parent nearby
It's easy to find a young animal on its own and assume something went wrong. Almost always, nothing did. A doe leaves her fawn hidden in tall grass for hours at a stretch while she feeds — staying away on purpose keeps predators from finding it. A fawn lying quietly by itself is doing exactly what it's supposed to do, and it does not need rescuing.
A hopping, feathered baby bird on the ground is usually a fledgling — old enough to have left the nest, learning to fly, with its parents watching and feeding it close by. Leave it where it is and keep cats and dogs indoors so they don't reach it. Fledglings can spend days on the ground before they're flying well, and that's normal. The one exception is a bald, helpless nestling that has fallen too early: if you can safely reach the nest, you can gently put it back. Birds will not reject a chick because a person touched it.
Why caring for wildlife yourself usually backfires
Raising a wild animal takes training, the right facilities, and a permit — and it is illegal to possess most wild animals without one. Almost all native Missouri wildlife is generally protected — including every snake and every bat — so the rule is watch, don't touch. You generally can't kill it or keep it, with narrow exceptions: legal hunting and trapping seasons, an immediate safety threat, and some damage animals on your own property under MDC rules.
There's a health reason too. Wild animals can carry parasites and diseases — ticks, mites, roundworms, rabies, and distemper among them — so handling one can put you and your pets at risk. Even with the best intentions, a well-meaning rescue often leaves a baby worse off than its own mother would.
If an animal seems alone
A baby animal that seems alone
Leave it, unless it's clearly injured or you know the parent is dead. Its mother is almost always nearby. Call a permitted wildlife rehabilitator first.
If an animal truly needs help
Sometimes a baby really is in trouble — it's clearly injured, or you know for certain the parent is dead. Even then, the move is the same: don't take it in. Contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator first. They have the training, the facilities, and the permits, and they're the ones who decide whether and how they can help. MDC keeps a list of permitted rehabilitators. And never put yourself in danger to reach an animal — your safety comes first.
One important exception
Never handle a rabies-vector animal
Don't handle raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, coyotes, or other rabies-vector mammals — not even to help. Rabies in Missouri is carried mostly by bats and skunks, though foxes, raccoons, and unvaccinated pets and livestock can carry it too. A sick animal may act strange — but not always. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, yet it's nearly 100% preventable with prompt treatment before symptoms start.
If one of these animals seems sick, injured, or unusually tame, keep your distance and call a conservation agent, animal control, or your county health department.
The right number
Who to call
A medical emergency
911
Poisoning or bite guidance
Poison Control — 1-800-222-1222
A possible rabies exposure
Your doctor AND your county health department
A bear, mountain lion, or elk to report
Your MDC regional office or conservation agent
A nuisance animal in your attic or walls
An MDC-authorized nuisance wildlife control operator
Injured or orphaned wildlife
A permitted wildlife rehabilitator — call first
A feral hog sighting
MDC feral hog reporting
A deer crash
911 if there's an injury or it's blocking the road; law enforcement and your insurer as needed
The bottom line
A baby animal's best survival odds are with its own mother, in the wild. When you leave it be, you're not ignoring it — you're giving it the best chance it has.
Before you act
Missouri Porch explains; the experts decide.
Last checked: 2026-06-18. Animal facts and wildlife rules change — and a bite, sting, or exposure is a medical question, not a website question. When in doubt, make the call.
This is general information, not medical or legal advice. For a bite, exposure, or emergency, call your doctor, your county health department, Poison Control (1-800-222-1222), or 911. For wildlife rules, check with MDC.
Heads up: When you're not sure whether an animal needs help, don't pick it up — call a permitted wildlife rehabilitator and let them decide. They can tell you whether to leave it, watch it, or bring it in.
- MDC — Wildlife — and its list of permitted wildlife rehabilitators
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