GRAY  — Maine wildlife officials say helping animals thought to be orphaned can actually harm them.

Officials say that in recent weeks, numerous well-intentioned people have contacted the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to say they had picked up young wildlife that they believed were orphaned. In most cases, the animals had not been; their mothers were nearby.

Those animals include fawns in Maine’s wildlife park in Gray.

On Friday, wildlife officials plan a news conference at the wildlife park to urge people to leave wildlife alone. Natural sciences educator Lisa Kane will explain how mothers tend to their young, and steps people can take to ensure the health of the young animals.