They also found the half-eaten leaves that the hungry brood left behind.

"She was showing them the ropes," said Tefry, the garden center's manager. "They got into our perennials, and they really did a job."

A recent baby animal boom has sent fledgling birds, baby rabbits and other newborn creatures into backyards and near homes all over town. And even though they manage to ruin vegetables and are the bane of many gardeners, experts say more and more residents are trying to keep them as pets or bring the baby animals home to protect them.

But removing animals, no matter how small, from their natural habitat could be doing more harm than good.

"People do occasionally bring us a small animal they have found, thinking it was abandoned," said Joan Townley, a wildlife biologist and park ranger at Endicott Park. "Quite often, they were put there by their mother."

In her 33 years at Endicott Park, Townley said she has seen the reports of bouncing bunnies and other newborns being replaced by increased reports of predators, like coyotes. But this season, it seems the smaller mammals are the ones who have been leaping through Danvers yards in recent weeks, popping up underneath decks, porches and behind sheds.

It's not uncommon, she said, to find baby birds that have fallen when taking their first attempt at flight, or a baby woodchuck who seems to have wandered away from its mother. But the best thing to do, for the safety of the animal and the humans, is to leave them alone.

Often the mother will return to help her offspring, as long as people are not lingering nearby, she said.

Experts say that people should remember baby animals are not as defenseless as they seem. Baby deer, for example, are equipped with a camouflage coat and nearly undetectable scent that hides them from predators. They typically remain close to their mothers and can stay hidden, undetected in brush.

Wild turkeys will become pests if fed by humans and will lose their ability to interact in the wild. They will also lose their natural shyness and could move closer to areas where people dwell.

Another incentives to walk away is to avoid illness. Rabbits, in particular, can sometimes carry diseases such as tularemia. And any mammal, including chipmunks and squirrels, may also carry the rabies virus and could be the host for ticks or parasites.

Amy Cyr, Danvers Animal Hospital manager, said staffers receive calls about sick or abandoned animals at this time every year. Sometimes people bring injured or sick animals into the hospital themselves. Currently, they are caring for an opossum, a duckling and various birds.

But baby animals who are taken in by well-intentioned people often lose the ability to fend for themselves in the wild. Sometimes they can even die because they are not getting the food they need.

Animals cared for by humans can also form an attachment to them, she said. If released back into the wild, they often lose their fear of people and become a nuisance by staying near homes and going through trash cans.

"Leave them alone, and hope for the best," Larson said. "If you care, leave them there."

It is against the law in Massachusetts to take any wild animal home. If you think a wild animal has been injured, contact the local animal control officer or a licensed wild animal rehabilitator.

Baby boom

* Never move an animal's nest.

* Do not handle baby or adult wild animals. They may be carrying diseases or ticks.

* Leave baby animals where you found them. Their mother will probably return to that spot to look for them.

* It is illegal to keep most wild animals or birds as pets.

* Injured animals should be handled by professionals.

* If you find an injured wild animal, contact the Danvers Animal Hospital at 978-774-0045 or the town animal control officer at 978-774-1213, ext. 8