Got Nature? Blog

MyDNR, Indiana’s Outdoor Newsletter: As spring has sprung, so has new wildlife. It may be tempting to cuddle cute, young wildlife, but it’s important to always assess the situation from a safe distance.

Young wildlife’s best chance of survival is with their mother, and your support can often unintentionally harm wildlife if that support is not needed. If young wildlife have fallen out of a den or nest, you can return them to their home and then leave the area. It is common for a mother to leave her young for long periods of time to forage for her and her young, so don’t linger around wildlife or their homes too long. Doing this can dissuade a mother from returning or alert predators to the young.

If you’re uncertain whether wildlife need assistance, contact a wildlife rehabilitator before picking up wildlife. If wildlife truly need assistance, they must be turned over to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator within 24 hours. Find a list of permitted wildlife rehabilitators on our website.

To learn more, please visit DNR: Fish & Wildlife Resources.

To subscribe to the newsletter visit MyDNR Email Newsletter.

Resources:
Designing Hardwood Tree Plantings for Wildlife – The Education Store
ID That Tree – YouTube Playlist
Forest Management for Reptiles and Amphibians: A Technical Guide for the Midwest, The Education Store
Ask the Expert: Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment – Birds and Salamander Research, Purdue Extension – FNR
A Template for Your Wildlife Habitat Management Plan, The Education Store
Managing Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer, The Education Store
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube channel
Creating a Wildlife Habitat Management Plan for Landowners, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
A Template for Your Wildlife Habitat Management Plan, The Education Store
Birds and Residential Window Strikes: Tips for Prevention, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Managing Woodlands for Birds Video, Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube Channel
Developing a Wildlife Habitat Management Plan, The Education Store
The Nature of Teaching, YouTube channel
Nature of Teaching: Common Mammals of Indiana, The Education Store
Subscribe to Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources YouTube Channel, Wildlife Playlist

Indiana Department of Natural Resources