Arizona wildlife officials are warning against coming into contact with newborn creatures in the wild.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said Thursday that upcoming rising temperatures and longer days mean that people are likely to encounter more newborn wildlife.
The department says this is the time of year when people see animals such as baby birds and bunnies and assume they're abandoned.
They say people unknowingly separate a baby from its parent.
This can lead to baby animals getting euthanized because they cannot be released back into the wild.
Officials say the department's wildlife rehab center gets inundated each year with bobcat kittens, elk calves and other animals.
