Question: have you ever reared an animal from a baby? finandkatie1111.

Claire El Mouden answered on 25 Jun 2013:

Hello,

Yes. I used to volunteer at an animal wildlife rescue centre and the public would often bring in baby birds and animals they found.

When I was on holiday with some friends, one night we were out in town, and I found a baby pigeon in the street. He was bleeding from the leg a bit and had clearly fallen from his nest. He was very cold. I found a box by a shop and put him in it. We nicknamed him Barney and fed him by hand for a couple of weeks during our holiday. He grew really fast! Eventually when I got home I took him to the rescue centre whereI volunteered and he joined several other young pigeons and was released a few weeks later.

Normally, when you find birds that look like babies on the ground, it’s very important to not touch them, as they may be ones that have just left the nest. They may look quite little, and not be able to fly properly. The mummy bird will still come and feed them. If you touch them or move them, it can scare the parent bird away. I knew it was right to take care of Barney because he was very small and it was clear he had fallen from the nest….if in doubt, leave them!