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Cute, cuddly, but not tame photo by Steve Johnson Wildlife Images tends to young brought to center By David Prezsler MERLIN � It�s baby season at Wildlife Images. From a screech owlet and other baby birds to a skunk kit and a baby beaver, newborns have been flowing into the animal rehabilitation center. As usual, a number of fawns are among them � most of which center workers say would have been better left in the wild. Of the eight now at the center, only two really need to be there. "The fawns are the most unnecessary," says Wildlife Images manager Cory Laughlin. "People find them in meadows and think they�ve been abandoned." But Laughlin says it�s not unusual for does to leave their fawns for up to 10 days. The fawns often curl up and remain still; they may look injured, but they aren�t. If she senses a predator or a danger, a doe will often run off, attempting to draw the predator. The fawn will drop and freeze. "She�ll come back," Laughlin says. "It�s just as important to know animal behavior as to have a kind heart. It�s more important." Well-meaning people who bring uninjured fawns to the center can actually hurt the animal�s chances of surviving in the wild. While the center cares for such animals, workers can�t provide the same nurturing as the animal�s mother. For instance, the fawns may not learn to fear and avoid predators as well or get other training. "The biggest thing is that we can�t give them the antibodies that their mother can in the milk," says Laughlin. Baby birds are another common problem. People who find baby birds outside the nest often assume they are abandoned. But Laughlin says sometimes the parents are still feeding the baby birds outside the nest, helping them with the transition. Disrupting that process can be detrimental to the birds. As a general rule of thumb, Laughlin says people should only bring in animals that are injured or baby animals whose mothers have been killed or injured. Wildlife Images cares for roughly 200 animals a year, releasing 85 percent of those it takes in back to the wild. The center is supported by private donations and is always in need of volunteers, particularly during the spring and early summer season when lots of baby animals arrive. The center�s focus is to rehabilitate injured animals, such as a young beaver that arrived recently from Crescent City, Calif. "A dog got him and brought him to his owner," explains Laughlin. The beaver had teeth marks on its hip and is being nursed back to health, fed formula in a bottle. He�ll be released at age 2. Center workers don�t typically name animals, but baby beavers are pretty rare and Laughlin says this one was "so darn cute" they couldn�t help naming it "Theodore." Currently, the center has about 50 baby birds, about a dozen baby raccoons, eight fawns, about six or seven baby possums, a screech owlet, a baby skunk and Theodore. Tours are available, call (541) 476-0222 for information. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA