While the latest reunification had a “fawn-tastic” ending, not all baby deer need rescuing, reminds the BC SPCA.
A young deer was brought to the agency’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) site in Metchosin after being hit by a car. After several days of care and healing from head and other internal trauma, the fawn was ready to return to its mom.
“Reuniting fawns is often difficult as mothers will only respond to their own babies, and time is of the essence,” the agency said. “Our expert team was ready for the task and quickly tracked down this fawn’s mother. At the right place and at the right time, the fawn immediately ran up to the doe, and our team was thrilled to witness this beautiful reunion.”
While this injured fawn desperately needed intervention to recover, not all fawns left alone are in trouble.
Fawning season runs May through early July, upping the need for pet owners to keep dogs on leash and for drivers to be wary when they see a deer, watching for followers. Also, during this time, a fawn tottering along behind its mother isn’t an uncommon sight in Greater Victoria.
Neither is the tiniest of baby deer tucked away in quiet corners of yards and gardens.
The mother only feeds them a couple of times in 24 hours so she will park them in one spot and then come back to feed them
For the first couple weeks of its life, the newest of deer are too weak to keep up. If it’s quiet and peaceful, the fawn is likely simply resting and awaiting its next meal.
Distress indicators include being in the same location longer than 24 hours and being mobile, and crying. However, the latter could also be a response to a human approaching, so initial impressions are key.
Anyone not sure if an animal is in distress can call Wild ARC at 1-855-622-7722 or the provincial call centre at 1-855-622-7722 for advice.
