Leave Bambi ALONE!

DEM cautions public on what to do if you see a fawn

PROVIDENCE - According to wildlife biologists at the Department of Environmental Management, white-tailed deer give birth to fawns during the months of May and June. 

Each year DEM receives many calls about fawns being abandoned by their mother. This is almost never the case and most of these fawns seen are not abandoned. 

During the five to seven days after it is born, a fawn is incapable of following the mother so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled "freeze" position on the ground, hidden in grass or sparse brush. At this time, fawns can be approached and handled with little resistance. Assumed to be abandoned, well-intentioned people will take the fawn home to protect it from predators or domestic animals.

These fawns are not abandoned by their mother; in fact, the doe will often be nearby, out of sight, but will only come to the fawn a few times during the day or after dark to feed the fawn. 

If you see a baby fawn in this condition please leave it alone, as the mother will return to feed the baby. 

After seven to 10 days the fawn may run when approached, and after a month it will be able to follow and feed alongside the mother. Interference by handling and taking fawns from the wild by people during this process can often spell a death sentence for the young deer. If there is no dead doe found nearby or on the road, the fawn is not abandoned.

If you find a fawn, the best thing you can do is immediately leave the area and avoid creating any disturbance near it. Fawns should not be handled and it is important to realize the fawn does not need your help. 

Fawns are well-camouflaged and have very little scent helping to protect it from predators. Fawns also lie motionless when approached by a predator, a behavioral adaptation to help it survive. 

If the fawn has been touched by a person the mother will not avoid the fawn, and they are rarely abandoned. The doe-fawn bond is very strong and even in extreme cases if the fawn has been handled, it should be placed back near the location where it was found in or next to natural vegetation to provide some protection. 

On rare occasions a fawn may approach people or pets, and if this occurs it should be gently coaxed back down into the grass by pressing down on its shoulders as its mother would, then immediately leave the area. Do not wait to see if the doe returns as she will avoid the area until the disturbance passes, but she will return to search and care for the missing fawn once the areas are clear of people and pets.

Fawns cannot be kept as pets and removing a deer from the wild and keeping it in captivity is illegal in Rhode Island. Wild deer often do poorly in captivity, suffering malnutrition and behavioral changes as they become accustomed to humans. 

Captive deer can pose health risks or they may become dangerous to people or domestic animals as they mature. Tame deer raised in captivity also have difficulty returning to the wild and may become a nuisance, or worse, are unable to be returned to the wild as a free-roaming creature as nature intended. 

Any fawn obviously injured by a pet, vehicle or farm equipment should be reported directly to the Division of Fish and Wildlife at 789-0281.