If you find one leave it alone even if it’s mother is no where to be seen.
It is the peak of whitetail deer fawning season in the South. The public is encouraged to leave even those fawns that seem to be abandoned, lost or orphaned right where they were found. Every year the lives of many young wild animals are destroyed by well-meaning people who attempt to “rescue” young wildlife from the wild.
According to Marisa Lee, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Hunter Education Coordinator, taking animals from their natural environment robs them from an opportunity to learn to survive, even if that means the animal must fend for itself. In most cases, the fawns are healthy animals with a parent nearby.
Here are some fawn facts to consider if you find one in the wild:
Fawns are left in protective cover up until three weeks of age and the mother will return two to eight times per day to feed them. She may not return if you are within sight. If the fawn is in a patch of tall grass or covered by bushes leave it alone. It was most likely left there by its mother who feels it is protected.
- Most deer only have one fawn per season though twins can occur.
- If a fawn has been touched by humans, the doe will continue to care for it. So walk away and leave the fawn alone so the momma can come back and feed it.
- A doe will accept a missing fawn for up to 48 hours so if the fawn has fallen somewhere or wandered out and got stuck in your yard or fencing try to help the momma find her baby.
- Fawns do not digest other animals’ milk well and may dehydrate quickly from diarrhea if fed on a diet of cow’s milk. Not only that but it needs its mothers milk for the immunity to diseases that the mother’s body produces.
- Fawns raised with only human contact can imprint on humans and become dangerous when mature.
Most wild birds and mammals (including fawns) are protected under the law and may not be legally taken from the wild or kept as pets. Only when a fawn is found injured or with a dead doe is there reason to do something.And that something should be to call a local animal rehabilitation to come and help. Keeping a wild animal in your home no matter how small or cute or desperate it looks is not good for the animal unless you are trained to care for it properly.
