Skip to content

Viewpoint: Leave the fawns alone

Never touch a young fawn. If you see one lying somewhere, know that its mother will return; it has not been abandoned. They are not sturdy enough to forage with their mother so they remain lying down in “freeze frame” until she returns.
Fawn
Michelle Pennell photo

Never touch a young fawn. If you see one lying somewhere, know that its mother will return; it has not been abandoned.

They are not sturdy enough to forage with their mother so they  remain lying down in “freeze frame” until she returns. Mother may be gone as long as 24 hours.

If someone who comes across a young fawn on its own becomes concerned after several hours and thinks that something dire must have happened, remember that hovering around, repeatedly “checking” on the fawn will only result in its mother staying away longer.

Some does have even been reported to return to nurse after dusk, then lay down to sleep in an area away from their young, another protection adaptation DNA’d into this species in an effort to to preserve the lives of newborns. If, however, an observation is made that the fawn is ill or injured, then a conservation officer should be called as soon as possible.

In a recent case, two fawns only a few days old had sustained severe enough injuries that both needed immediate veterinary care. BC Conservation Officer Service officer Andrew Anaka and Doctor Barnes from Westview Veterinary Clinic both contacted Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society.

Without a facility to house and care for the two, a volunteer helicopter owner flew over from Nanaimo in order to transport the fawns to Critter Care Wildlife Society, a licensed mammal rehabilitation centre in Langley. Each weighed less than five pounds.

Travel is so stressful for injured wildlife, but in the case of young deer, it would be life threatening. These two will eventually be released in the forests surrounding the Fraser Valley.

Some people may applaud, thinking there are two fewer deer to eat their plants, however, there are many plant species that deer do not care for. Fences help, predators need to have food and, well, they were here first. They are also graceful and beautiful to watch.

Another perspective might be that to see a wild deer is unheard of now on much of this overpopulated planet.

Lesley Armstrong is a member of Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society.