If you’re the camping type, a trip to the Grand Canyon may be one of the top destinations on your bucket list. And why shouldn’t it be? It’s scenic, it’s tranquil, and there’s plenty of opportunity to commune with the local wildlife. Of course, be careful when you’re approaching any kind of wild animal, no matter how innocuous it might seem.
In late June, Grand Canyon park ranger Della Yurcik was at one of the park’s ranger stations when a young couple knocked on the door. The two were holding a small fawn wrapped in a T-shirt. The couple claimed that they’d been approached by the fawn while exploring the canyon. When they’d failed to find the mother, they assumed the fawn was in need and so they wrapped the little guy up and tromped over the ranger station.
Here’s the thing, though. As tempting as it might be to try and save these vulnerable animals, just don’t do it. As ranger Yurcik told the Arizona Daily Sun, the animals in national parks are truly wild, which means that any kind of prolonged contact with humans could prove very harmful to any wildlife.
Fortunately, in this case, the fawn was successfully reunited with its mother, but the couple who rescued the fawn are looking at a potential fine for breaking the park’s rules about feeding or contacting the animals in the park.
