Animal rescue

   Most all baby animals are cute, but fawns must be near the top of the list when it comes to making people say “aww, that is so cute.” With their big brown eyes, long eyelashes, and soft spotted coats, they attract a lot of positive attraction. We have been seeing fawns on almost a daily basis for the last couple of weeks. Some people think they need to rescue a fawn if they see it all alone, no mother in sight. This is almost never the case.

   In watching the does and fawns from the porch, it is easy to see how people would think a fawn by itself is abandoned. In the early morning, shortly after dawn, we watch as a doe saunters slowly down the hill from the timber, going toward the lake. She seems to be just walking along, grabbing a snack as she goes, but is checking the area for danger as she approaches where she left her baby. The last hundred yards may take fifteen to twenty minutes to cover. Suddenly, her fawn will pop up out of the tall grass where it has spent the night. The doe will bathe the fawn while it eats before she moves it to a new area. The fawn will follow its mother for a short distance where she somehow signals it to lay down and wait for her return. This may not be for ten or twelve hours. She stays away from her baby to avoid attracting predators, but she remains in the area, vigilant, but out of sight. A person could watch what they think is an abandoned fawn for several hours and be even more convinced they need to intervene. The fact is the doe is either not ready to come back or sees the rescuer as a threat and will not return if a person is in the area.

   In the spring and early summer, it is fairly common to see a baby animal or bird alone. People with good intentions feel it is necessary to save the cute little animal’s life. Most of the time, their attempts are causing more harm than good. Unless a person is trained in animal rescue, there is a large possibility the attempts to save the animal will kill it. Left to their own devices, animals will generally take care of themselves. A baby squirrel that seems to have fallen out of the nest, if left alone, will be picked up by its mother and taken back to the nest. A baby bird they may have tried to fly a day or two early will be fine with minimal assistance or if left alone. If possible, put it back in the nest or it can sit on a fence or low branch and be fed by the parents until it does have a successful flight. Touching a baby bird will not cause the parents to abandon it.

   People see cute baby animals and immediately think they need our help. Mother nature has given the instinct to the mothers to take better care of their young than we can hope to. It is not a good thing to rescue something that does not need rescued.