Who you gonna call?

Springtime brings new life to the world. Deer, elk and other wildlife species start having their young and are more actively feeding in urban areas. While it's easy to enjoy seeing newborn fawns and bear cubs, there is a level of care that should be taken when observing and living around these animals.

If you come across a fawn or elk calf by itself, leave the area and keep pets and children away to maximize the chance that the parent will return. This will also minimize the stress to the animal. Deer and elk will leave their young for extended periods of time and will be less likely to return to an area with a predator, like humans, present.

If you find a fawn or calf that have been orphaned, notify the local warden or biologist. It is illegal to possess and care for a live animal taken from the wild, "If you care, leave them there!" Due to disease, no wildlife rehabilitators in the state, including the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, are permitted to rehabilitate ungulates such as deer, elk, and moose.

State and Federal law protects many bird species. If you locate an orphaned or injured bird contact your local warden, biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service office or wildlife rehabilitation center. Nuisance birds, like woodpeckers and magpies, may be protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so there may limited options to deal with them.

Non-protected birds, like pigeons, house sparrows, starlings and Eurasian-collared doves can be removed without permit or permission from FWP. There are no wildlife rehabilitation options for non-protected birds. There are multiple online resources that provide tips to deal with nuisance birds and other vertebrate pests including: https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/living-with-wildlife

To prevent human-wildlife conflict, it's imperative to secure food attractants, pets, livestock and garbage. Bears are actively feeding, especially mothers with cubs and the bird feeder in the yard provides an easy meal. When bears get habituated to finding their food around homes, it can become a dangerous problem for both the bear and the homeowner.

FWP can rehabilitate orphaned cubs, if necessary, but the best outcome for everyone is for bears to stay wild. The easiest way to prevent issues with any wildlife wandering through is to eliminate any reason for them to stick around. Barbecue grills and other attractants hold scent that bears can smell from up to 20 miles away! While it's likely impossible to get rid of all scents from your campsite or home, removing garbage and storing grills and coolers in hard-sided vehicles or garages will deter most bears.

With the Fourth of July holiday quickly approaching, more and more folks will be recreating in urban environments. Practicing these principles and being aware of your role in the human-wildlife interface will keep you safe and help you enjoy the holiday.

Remember, if you're recreating on the water this weekend, you'll need to have all required safety equipment (life jackets, lights, etc.) in working order and easily accessible!