river talk

Fawn follies

By SCOTT RANDO
Posted 6/2/21

May and June are the time of the fawns. You may have seen them already in your yard or nearby fields or forests. It is when they are seen on or near a road that they are of most concern.

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river talk

Fawn follies

Posted

May and June are the time of the fawns. You may have seen them already in your yard or nearby fields or forests. It is when they are seen on or near a road that they are of most concern.

When fawns are near a road, they may dart out of thick brush and out into the middle of the road, directly in front of moving vehicles, with very little warning. Fawns have no experience with moving vehicles on a roadway. Just because you have seen a fawn cross the road does not mean the danger has passed. Fawns frequently backtrack and cross the road in reverse. Also, a mother deer may have two or three fawns as they make their foray across the road.

Sometimes, a fawn may be spotted laying down close to a road, seemingly helpless, and the temptation is to take it home or elsewhere as its mother is nowhere to be seen. Do not approach the fawn. Instead, take a quick look to see that the fawn is not obviously injured and then just leave it be. When fawns are first born, the mother may wander off for a while and not be seen. She does do this to avoid unwanted attention to its new, helpless fawn. Fawns seen in this situation are not abandoned; the female adults will come back. When the fawn gets enough strength in its legs to walk, the fawn and its mother will walk off. Give the fawn some space, and its mom will show up soon enough to guide it away when the fawn can walk on its own.

 If you have a fawn in your garden or on your lawn this time of year, resist the temptation to move the animal in an effort to get it help. If you have concerns, or if you see a fawn or any other animal that is obviously injured, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. They have the knowledge to care for an injured or distressed animal. Some more information about young wildlife can be found at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6956.html.

Lists of wildlife rehabilitators in our area can be found at www.wildlife.rescueshelter.com/NewYork and www.wildlife.rescueshelter.com/Pennsylvania.

deer, fawn, spring

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