But usually the mistake can be corrected. She's not going to give up on them easily. She probably will find them if they are returned to the area where they were picked up, even if someone has had them for a couple of days. Conservation Department offices in Missouri receive hundreds of calls each spring and summer from people who find birds, raccoons, opossums and a variety of other juvenile wildlife that they believe have been abandoned. In most cases nothing is wrong, and human intervention is inappropriate.
Birds often grow too large for their nests before they are able to fly.
They fall or jump out, and parents continue to bring food for them on the ground. Rescuing a young animal from this situation is likely to result in its death. Most people aren't equipped to supply the dietary needs of young animals. If a child brings home a baby bird or rabbit, forget the popular myth that human scent will prevent the parent from taking it back. Return the animal as quickly as possible to the place where it was found, Beringer says.