Baby and Nuisance Wildlife

Brandon Lyddon, Conservation Agent

To try and keep predators from finding them, some adult wild animals like deer leave their young for periods of time because the young do not have scent like the adults. It is best to leave the wild animal where you find them and look at it from a safe distance. The longer an animal is away from its parents or its natural habitat, the less likely it will survive.

Wild animals cannot be legally kept without a permit and an appropriate facility and training to properly take care of the animal until it can be released. If you find severely injured wildlife or baby wildlife whose mother you know has died and is too young to feed itself, people can contact the closest permitted wildlife rehabilitator to see if they can take the animal. For NW MO there is one near Savannah and can be called at (816) 324-5824. Or you can find the best place for the animal in its natural habitat and release it as soon as possible.  

The wildlife code allows people to protect their property when wildlife is causing damage to their property. Live traps are a non-lethal option that can be used to try and trap nuisance wildlife and remove them from the problem area.