Fawn released into wild

A fawn showed up at a home in Tumalo earlier this month and started following the homeowners around like a puppy.

That, according to wildlife rehabilitation specialist Tracy Leonhardy, is not a good sign.

The nine-month-old fawn “was obviously tame,” she said. “He’s obviously been raised by people.”

The fawn sought petting and displayed behavior that indicated he’d likely been bottle fed. Leonhardy said someone may have found him alone in the woods and taken him home to “help.”

That’s not the proper response. The fawn may not have been orphaned or abandoned at all. His mother may have left him temporarily. Even if the mother was dead, people should not try to adopt fawns.

According to Leonhardy, the correct action is to call the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (388-6363) or the sheriff’s office (549-2302). They’ll determine if the fawn is truly abandoned and get it to Leonhardy for rehab and hopefully release.

“It’s actually very illegal to have deer without a license,” Leonhardy noted.

Some folks bottle-feed deer and make them sick. Leonhardy has seen fawns die from poisoning by infant formula that contains elements that are good for human babies but deadly for deer.

She said that many people don’t realize that deer can be dangerous. The fawn was already displaying some signs of the aggression that is part of a buck’s natural behavior.

“It’s cute when they’re little; it’s not cute when they’re adults,” she said.

Leonhardy said the fawn, at nine months, is approaching an age at which returning to the wild becomes problematic. Once a deer is too habituated to humans, it just can’t make it in its natural environment.

But she consulted with Cory Heath of ODFW and they decided this fawn was probably still young enough to revert to his natural ways.

Leonhardy released him last weekend on a 1,200-acre ranch north of Sisters where he’ll have a chance to live like a deer.

“Hopefully he’ll bond with the other deer that are out there and less with people,” she said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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