It’s baby deer season, and the more you know about the habits of deer, the better the chances that baby deer will remain with their mothers.
Baby deer (known as fawns) are born from April through July. A female deer (or doe) can have one to three fawns; twins are common.
Until the babies are strong enough to keep up with their mom, they are hidden and left alone for most of the time to keep them safe from predators.
Fawns have no scent, which is why a doe will leave her baby alone while she browses. Her scent will attract predators away from the fawn. As well, the spots and colouring of fawns help camouflage them from predators as they lie motionless in tall grass or the forest.
In the past, well-meaning members of the public have brought fawns to North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRA), thinking they were orphaned. Sometimes, people walking through the woods would find a fawn nestled in tall grass and, thinking it abandoned, bring it into the centre. They did not understand that mother deer leave their fawns alone for a reason.
Our natural emotional response when we find a fawn alone is to pick it up and feed it. But what should you do if you find a fawn and see no mother deer in sight? Please leave it alone unless you can verify the doe is dead or that the fawn has suffered a life-threatening injury.
If your children bring a baby deer home, take it back to where it was found; the mother will return. Even if a fawn has been taken from its mother for many hours, they can be successfully reunited.
If you find a fawn lying on the side or in the middle of the road, stop and gently guide it off into the bush or ditch. This will save it from other motorists. The mother and fawn have become separated when crossing the road, and she is probably watching you. Fawns tend to lie flat instinctively, hoping you and other scares will go away.
If the doe is dead nearby and the fawn must be brought to the centre, do not try to feed it. Please leave that to the professionals at NIWRA.
Thank you for caring about wildlife!
NIWRA, a non-profit organization, is situated in Errington, B.C. We are open to the public daily for viewing of non-releasable animals. Please visit our website at www.niwra.org to learn more about our programs, read stories about our animals, and learn how you can help care for wildlife.
Moira Rosser-Peterson is a staff member at North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre
