If you come across a fawn this spring or summer, keep calm. That’s the advice of Connor Gillespie at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
“They are the most kidnapped animal. We get a lot of them brought here by people who think they’re abandoned, but when we get them here we realize that they’ve been well cared for and are just fine," he explains. "It’s just that mom was out getting some food and taking care of herself, and because the people didn’t see that mom they assumed that it was orphaned.”
He says a mother deer will often leave babies for an extended stretch of time.
“She’ll find a spot where she feels that fawn is safe, and she’ll kind of nudge them down and keep them there, so if someone comes across a fawn that they’re concerned about, call a wildlife rehabilitator for help. We can assess whether it’s orphaned or not, and in more than half the cases it’s not. It’s just waiting for mom to return.
If the baby is wounded, covered in ticks or other insects, has diarrhea or is lethargic, that IS a sign of trouble and warrants a phone call, but Gillespie cautions that deer are high-stress animals – vulnerable to GI infections and other medical problems in captivity, so unless they’re clearly in distress, it’s best to wait and see if the mother comes back.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
