Fawns Proceed with Caution

Photo: Wikipedia

Each spring and early summer Facebook, and Instagram is loaded with pictures and videos of fawns (baby deer) and they are typically all the same. A cute little newborn fawn laying behind a woodshed, in a flowerbed, or some tall grass in the backyard. As humans living in the United States of course we must document everything and post away. However how close is too close? Fawns have almost no odor, so predators cannot smell them. Their white spotted coats provide excellent camouflage when they are lying on the forest floor. For the first week of life, frightened fawns instinctively freeze, making full use of their protective coloration. If you think about it what happens if that cute photo of a lifetime has fatal consequences to it is it worth it?

 Here is a list of reasons you should just admire from a far and keep it moving.

1. Its apart of nature’s cycle. Does (fawns’ mother) tend to leave their newborn fawns for the first few weeks after birth. The reason for this is the fawn is better protected without the scent and odor the mother gives off after birth. This is merely to protect it from predators.
2. DO NOT PET IT or touch it. If you get too close to the fawn and your scent is left behind, you may cause the doe to desert her offspring. If you try and pick up the fawn, the bleating sound it makes or cry you hear is dinner bell to nearby predators.
3. If for whatever reason you try and raise Bambi on your own, whether it be the mother was struck by a car or maybe you caused the mother to abandon it and feel bad, studies have shown that less than 4% live to the age of 10 weeks old. So be prepared too not be successful.
4. Usually, the mother is not too far, typically, within 200 or less yards downwind. If you frighten a fawn and cause it to leave the area in which its mother left it, because they are odorless, this may cause the mother to lose track of the fawn and not be able to protect it from predators. Also, the mother typically leaves it in a safe secure place so startling a fawn to move locations it might not pick the greatest hiding spot.
5. Dog attacks! Domestic dogs make up 5.8% of all reported fawn fatalities. This typically occurs because it is a dog’s instinct to protect its territory and in urban areas deer will often hide their fawns on or near someone’s yard. Monitor your dog’s behavior in the spring and early summer and try and keep it away from a fawn if you spot one.  

Most studies have come up with a fawn’s survival rate in the wild is between 33 and 68 percent. These studies were done over a 15-year period and over several different states and habitat conditions. Please do not make it even harder on the fawn to survive. Use common sense and keep in mind not to touch it under any circumstance and keep your distance because you never know if that Facebook picture may cause the life of a newborn deer.

If you want more information or to speak with a wildlife biologist about a specific issue you are having or question you need clarification on, fill out the form below.

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