Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Springtime brings with it reports to Parks & Wildlife from people certain they’ve found abandoned baby animals.

09—What could have happened is you walked up there, and mama ran off and hid – and baby is hiding there. And, as soon as you leave, mama will come back.

That’s not true in every case, says Jonah Evans, Texas Parks and Wildlife mammalogist. For example, if you see an abandoned baby possum, mom may be gone for good.

14—With 184 some odd mammals in the state, it’s probably pretty difficult to give you a list of which mothers will come back wand which ones won’t. So, what I recommend is before touching
and animal – call a [wildlife] rehabilitator.

Licensed rehabilitators know animal behavior and can tell you which ones could benefit from intervention.

09—If you contact one of the many throughout the state – and there’s a whole long list of them on our website – they are really the experts in this. Not Parks and Wildlife.

Jonah Evans says although he researches and studies warm-blooded animals, rehabilitators have skills suited to helping citizens’ where abandoned baby animals are concerned.

Find a list of licensed rehabilitators by county on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.