Utah Wildlife Officials Warn Residents to Keep Distance During Baby Animal Season

Wildlife officials in Utah are issuing an urgent reminder to residents and visitors to maintain a safe distance from newborn wildlife as baby animal season officially begins across the state. The warning follows the recent arrival of a cow moose that gave birth to twins over the weekend in Park City's Pinebrook neighborhood.

Local resident Kim Olson and her neighbors have been observing the newborn moose from a safe distance every day, noting that the community even blocked off a local road with garbage cans to allow the mother to walk safely across the street with her calves. Olson mentioned that while she has seen young moose before, she had never witnessed newborn twins so fresh to the world.

The Danger of Human Intervention

While encountering these animals can be exciting, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources official Mike Wardle emphasizes that approaching them poses severe risks to both humans and the animals. Wardle notes that if an animal looks up or shows any signs of nervousness, people are already too close. May through June marks the peak period when most elk, deer, and other large mammals drop their calves and fawns.

A common point of confusion for residents is finding a young animal left completely alone. Wardle explained that female mule deer naturally leave their fawns hidden for extended periods of time while they forage. This behavior is a survival tactic designed to prevent the mothers from drawing the attention of nearby predators to their defenseless offspring.

Disrupting Natural Survival Instincts

When humans interact with or touch these young animals, they leave behind a distinct human scent that strips away the animal's natural defenses. Newborn deer fawns are born virtually scentless, making it incredibly difficult for apex predators like coyotes and cougars to locate them. A human scent marker effectively neutralizes this camouflage and leaves the animal highly vulnerable.

Furthermore, wildlife officials warn against the dangerous impulse to rescue apparently abandoned animals. Wardle noted that the agency frequently encounters well-meaning people who take fawns home to bottle-feed and raise them. This intervention permanently disrupts their development, preventing them from learning how to forage, avoid danger, and survive independently in the wild.

Officials advise taking photographs from a significant distance and keeping domestic pets completely away from wildlife habitats during this critical seasonal window.

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