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| Our Setting | Leave No Trace | Gallery | • Wildlife Watching Tips |
Wildlife WatchingSadly, some people have gotten too close to animals and have even fed them. Baxter State Park is not a zoo or petting farm. Animals who have been fed will continue to approach people and may become aggressive by biting or kicking, especially towards children. Wild animals may carry diseases and will not survive the winter if they can’t find food on their own. Every person makes a difference in keeping the park animals “forever wild”. Your encounter alone may not seem like a disturbance to wildlife, but several encounters over a period of time have caused cumulative impacts. If you move closer and closer to an animal today, ten more people will do the same thing tomorrow. Soon the animal is habituated and someone can get close enough to feed or pet the animal. Therefore, one must always exercise good individual judgment and keep a respectful distance from all wildlife. Baxter State Park expects all wildlife watchers and photographers to respect the plants and animals inside the park; if you care about wildlife: observe, enjoy, but don’t encroach.
DO NOT: Approach, follow or FEED animals!
DO NOT: Hold hands out and tease animals to get them closer. DO NOT: Try to pet or touch animals. DO NOT: Push children toward animals to get a “good photo.” DO NOT: Leave food unattended at campsites or drop food on trails. Wildlife ListingThe most common large game animals of Baxter State Park are the moose, black bear and white-tailed deer.Moose are plentiful in Baxter State Park and are commonly seen during the summer months. Moose prefer ponds surrounded by marsh during the summer months because of the plentiful food supply and relief from insects. Caution should be exercised with cow moose with calves in the spring and bull moose during the mating season (mid-September to mid-October). Black bear are also common throughout the Park. They are observed in the wild at raspberry patches on Center Mountain and blueberry patches on the Traveler mountains in August and on beech ridges in October. Caution should be observed with all bear. Do not feed bears or any other animals. They can be aggressive at close range. White-tailed deer are prevalent in Baxter State Park. They are commonly observed along the park tote road throughout the Park. Beaver, muskrat, otter and raccoon are plentiful along the marshes, streams and lakes of the Park. Active beaver colonies are seen throughout the Park, close to the perimeter road. Raccoon are active in all the Park campgrounds. They are the best known of woodland bandits. Please take care of your food and do not feed any animal in Baxter State Park. Bobcat, red fox, fisher, marten, weasel, snowshoe hare, porcupine and red squirrel are common in all wooded areas of the Park. The red squirrels and chipmunks are cheerful visitors to all campgrounds.
* — Indicates a descriptive handout is available for this animal. |
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