In our well-meaning attempts to help wildlife, we often do more harm than good — like when we try to rescue what we assume are abandoned offspring. Most of these animals aren’t abandoned at all.

Many wild animals leave their young alone for relatively long periods as they search for food. For example, cottontail rabbits and deer may check in with their young only every 12 hours or so. And sometimes, fledgling birds and baby squirrels fall out of their nests when their parents are away.

Wildlife parents rarely abandon healthy offspring. If you think a fledgling or another youngster has been abandoned, monitor it from afar for several hours to see if a parent returns. If an animal has an obvious injury or is still on its own, contact your veterinarian or local Fish and Wildlife office.