A baby bird falls from its nest. An elk calf appears to be abandoned by its mother. Life isn’t always easy for any living creature.

That can be difficult for humans to accept. We want to fix problems. Yet far too often humans, even with the best of intentions, can make wildlife problems worse.

Putting out food for birds can attract bears. Putting out food for squirrels can attract both hungry squirrels and the wrath of neighbors. That herd of deer you enjoy seeing can attract mountain lions looking for a meal.

We call some animals wildlife because they’re wild.

“Most dangerous and potentially harmful encounters occur because people fail to leave the animals alone. Wildlife should not be harassed, captured, domesticated or fed,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife cautions in the Living with Wildlife section of its website.

Read more at the Broomfield Enterprise