Leave baby animals alone!
White-tailed deer give birth to fawns in May and June.
Each year, DEM receives many calls about fawns mistaken to have been abandoned
by their mother. This is almost never the case.
“In nature, a doe gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is
incapable of following the doe, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a
curled ‘freeze’ position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush,” said
Dylan Ferreira, a wildlife biologist in DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).
“Sometimes, however, well-intentioned people will assume the fawn is abandoned and take it home to ‘save’ it from predators or domestic animals. In fact, the doe will often be nearby out of sight and will only come to the fawn a few times during the day or after dark to feed it. If you see a fawn in this condition, please leave it alone. The mother will return to feed and care for it.”
After seven to 10 days, the fawn may run when approached and after a month will be able to follow and feed alongside the doe. Interference by people handling and taking fawns from the wild during this process can often doom young deer. If there is no dead doe found nearby or on the road, the fawn is not considered abandoned. To learn more about white-tailed deer in Rhode Island, see the wildlife factsheet here.
If you should find a fawn, the best thing to do is
immediately leave the area and avoid creating any disturbance near it. “Fawns
should not be handled – and counterintuitive as it may seem – do not need your
help. Fawns are well camouflaged and have very little scent, which helps
protect them from predators,” explained Ferreira.
Fawns also lie motionless when approached by a predator, a behavioral adaptation to help them survive. The doe-fawn bond is very strong. If you perceive a fawn to be in immediate danger – for example, lying in the middle of a road – first check your surroundings and monitor the scenario from a safe distance.
The fawn may move on its own, once you, who the fawn may
perceive as a predator, back away from them. If the fawn remains in an unsafe
area, please call DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement’s 24-hour
dispatch at 401-222-3070 for further guidance.
Rarely, a fawn may approach people or pets. If this
occurs, DEM advises the public to immediately leave the area. Do not wait to
see if the doe returns as she will avoid the area until the disturbance passes.
She will return to search and care for the missing fawn once the area is clear
of people and pets.
Fawns cannot be kept as pets and removing a deer from the wild and keeping it in captivity – however well-intentioned – 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 also
can pose health risks or may become dangerous to people or domestic animals as
they mature. Tame deer raised in captivity have trouble returning 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 Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island at
401-294-6363.
Feeding wildlife is illegal in Rhode Island because it
causes poor nutrition, increases the risk of disease, can lead to conflicts
between humans and wildlife, encourage unnatural or aggressive behavior, and
lead to unsustainable populations of wildlife.
For more information on when it’s appropriate to assist
young wildlife and a recording from DFW’s outreach program, visit DEM’s YouTube channel. Follow DFW on Facebook and Instagram
(@ri.fishandwildlife) to stay up to date on news, events and volunteer
opportunities. You can also subscribe to DFW’s monthly newsletter here.
For more information on DEM programs and initiatives,
visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM),
or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.
