Photograph by author.

As much as I love storybook tales of wonderfully friendly wildlife it is important to remember that most wild animals that act friendly can be dangerous for any of several reasons.

A wild animal is raised by or near people it looses its fear of humans.  This can be fun until the animal gets startled or scared and reverts to its natural born instincts to protect itself.  Most wild animals run or hide when humans approach.  An animal unafraid of people is much more likely to stand its ground.

When I lived in Houston I was friends with a number of astronauts and often visited them at the Johnson Space Center . (I’ll bet you are wondering what in the world this has to do with wild animals)  On day while leaving the astronaut training building I encountered about a dozen people cowering inside watching out the door with apparent apprehension.  “What’s wrong?” I asked.  One of our brave astronauts explained that they were trying to avoid an attack squirrel.  It turned out so many people had fed the squirrel vending machine snacks that he lurked right out side the door by the machines waiting for handouts.  If you ignored the squirrel he chased after you and grabbed hold of your pant leg or shoe.  It sounds funny but it really was a bad situation.  Anyone unaware of the squirrel’s habits would about have a heart attack when the fat rodent latched onto them and started scolding.

Animals also can act tame or friendly when they are sick or injured.  One of the most common illnesses found in Arkansas is distemper.  This causes animals to get disoriented and mentally ill.  Although they might act lethargic and timid they can suddenly turn vicious without warning.  I had a sick raccoon for two days that acted just as sweet as could be.  On the third day he attacked me while I was changing his water.  Even with my  special heavy gloves on  it hurt like crazy to get bit.  I can only imagine how much damage he might have done had I not had my gloves on.  When an animal does bite many hang on refusing to let go, not fun.

Some of the possible warning signs that a wild animal has distemper are as follows.  A nocturnal animal out in the daytime is very often a warning sign.  Greenish or cloudy eyes is good reason to steer clear as is one pupil dilated differently than the other.  Healthy animals should have shinny eyes with matched pupils.

Animals in shock might also act tame.  They are often so comatosed that they are virtually unaware of their surroundings.  Animals hit by cars or birds hitting windows often get concussions that put them in shock.  They can come around when least expected  and revert to a wild and powerful animal. I once had a young man bring me an injured owl for treatment.  He arrived at the refuge riding in a car with the owl in his lap.  If he ever intended to be a father he should thank his lucky stars the owl was in shock  A fully awake owl can exert over 500 pounds of pressure with its talons, Ouch!

To play safe assume that any animal that acts odd or abnormal is likely sick and potentially unpredictable.

We recently had a fox visit the refuge during the daytime.  Foxes are one animal that are seen both night and day so the daylight visit by itself was not of major concern.  This particular fox sat on the driveway and refused to move even as people got quite close.  The first reaction of my friend Jake was to feed this seemingly friendly animal.

I advised him against it for the very reasons mentioned above.  Even though healthy foxes are known to ignore people often acting as if they are not there it is not worth the risk to reach out to an unfamiliar animal.. This fox may well have been perfectly healthy.  He looked good, was well fed, had beautiful coloring and shiny eyes but personally I like to keep all ten of my fingers and Jake decided to do the same.  We walked way around the fox letting him keep his space to himself.  He ran off into the woods.

DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount  it is greatly appreciated.  Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.

See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife