Leave fawns alone

This is the time of year when mule deer are giving birth to fawns. Left alone, they have an excellent chance to grow into adults.

However, according to The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), an increasing number of well-meaning people who discover fawns, thinking they have been abandoned by the doe, take the fawns out of the wild.

This is the wrong thing to do.

ODFW biologists repeatedly ask people to leave deer fawns alone. Even in the case of a fawn discovered near a roadway, and a doe is found dead nearby, it is still best to leave the fawn where it is.

It may sound somewhat cruel, and difficult to accept by some people, acknowledge ODFW biologists, but it is impossible to save every fawn. At this time, ODFW does not have any way to care for fawns mistakenly removed from their natural element.

Oregon State Police also warn people that not only is it biologically unwise to remove a mule deer fawn from the wild, but it is also illegal. Only qualified wildlife rehabilitators are granted permits to keep mule deer in captivity.

Jane Stevens, a wildlife rehabilitator who has had years of experience caring for fawns, said, "Almost any fawn taken from the wild has very little chance of survival, or being returned to the wild successfully. If they do grow up in captivity, they will often reach maturity not knowing they are deer because of their close association with humans. Fawns have the best chance possible of surviving only if they are left alone."

It is the very nature of deer to leave their fawns for hours at a time while the doe is feeding. The fawns are usually perfectly safe where they are.

Fawns do not have any odor that will give away their location to predators. And nature has provided them with a coat of hair that makes them almost impossible to be seen by predators.

A doe who has given birth in the past will often use the same area to drop their fawns again if they have been successful. However, because more and more homes are being built closer to areas used by deer to give birth to their young, fawns and people are interacting more frequently.

Even if a fawn has been observed for several days in one place it does not necessarily mean that the doe has abandoned it. She will come back and nurse the fawn when she feels it is safe to do so. A well-meaning person, waiting to see if she comes back--or curious about the fawn--will often prevent the doe from returning.

The best thing to do when discovering a fawn is to withdraw from the area as quickly as possible and leave the fawn where it is.