Thursday, June 19, 2008
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: Don't bother to send me pictues of the deer fawn
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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I received an e-mail recently containing pictures of someone who had found a fawn deer that appeared to be a few days old.
In each succeeding picture, the man assumed closer contact with the fawn, starting with a frame that showed the animal in the distance and ending with one that showed the man with his arms around the fawn carrying it home. This stupidity likely was a death warrant for the young animal.
It happens every year about now. People find fawns in yards, hayfields or along roads and they stop for a close-up look. Some take pictures, others get carried away and pet the fawn and still others think the animal has been orphaned and they make a misguided attempt to rescue it.
The best thing you can do when you run across a fawn, or most any other immature wild animal, is nothing at all. Just back off; leave it alone; give it space. If you do much more you could be breaking the law, not to mention endangering the life of the animal.
This is such a big problem in Virginia that the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recently dispatched a news release titled, “If you find a fawn, leave it alone.”
Good advice, but many people don’t comply, because they don’t know any better.
Here are some questions addressed by DGIF deer biologists Matt Knox and Nelson Lafon:
Q. Lots of times people will come across a fawn and there is no mother deer to be seen anywhere. Isn’t this a good indication that the fawn has been abandoned and needs help?
A. Not at all. Doe deer by nature purposely stay away from fawns to avoid attracting predators, such as dogs or coyotes. This doesn’t mean they are abandoning their young. The fawn’s spotted coat affords good camouflage and when the animal lies motionless it gives off little scent. The doe will return to the fawn several times a day to feed or move it. Often she will stay with her young charge only for a few moments before leaving for a long period. This natural trait can cause people to think the fawn has been abandoned and needs help.
Q. Of the fawns that appear to be orphaned, how many actually are OK?
A. Ninety-five to 99 percent.
Q. How can you know if a fawn has been abandoned?
A. If a fawn has not been moved by its mother and remains in the exact same spot for 48 hours there is cause for concern.
Q. When are fawns born?
A. April through July is the timeframe, but the first two weeks of June is the peak.
Q. If someone unwisely has captured a fawn thinking it needed to be rescued, what is the best thing to do?
A. Immediately return the animal to the location it was taken. A doe will remain in the area at least for a day looking for its lost youngster.
Q. When a human handles a fawn, will that cause its mother to abandon it?
A. Petting probably won’t cause the fawn to be abandoned; even so, biologists recommend that fawns not be handled.
Q. Are there other precautions?
A. Yes. Don’t chase a fawn. As they grow older, they become more difficult to capture. A prolonged chase will stress the animal and can lead to capture myopathy, a fatal condition due to severe muscle and kidney damage.
Q. What if a fawn has been injured or truly has been orphaned?
A. Even then, don’t take matters into your own hands. Locate a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. You can find a list of about 100 on the DGIF Web site,. Be aware that many rehabilitation facilities have to turn fawns away due to limited housing, staff and funding, not mention that a higher priority is given to rare and endangered species. An example of the demand, The Wildlife Center in Waynesboro likely will take care of 50 fawns this year.
Q. Why can’t I just take care of the fawn by myself?
A. It is against the law to keep a wild animal captive unless you have a permit. Such permits aren’t likely to be issued to a novice because of their lack of training. For example, the novice probably will try to feed cow’s milk to the fawn and this can induce severe diarrhea. The fawn survival rate is very low withr an untrained person. Even with the best professional care, the success rate is below 50 percent, due to injuries the young animals may have or the stress of captivity and rehabilitation.
Q. You mean people actually get a summons for trying to help a fawn?
A. Yes, about 10 to 20 people do a year. Some of these make high-profile cases, as in “Good Samaritan arrested for trying to aid helpless fawn.” One was reported in People Magazine.
Q. When a fawn is released after rehabilitation, what is its chance for survival?
A. Only a very small number survive the first year in the wilds. They also face the risk of spreading contagious diseases into the wild population, such a tuberculosis or chronic wasting disease.
Q. What is the parting shot?
A. Keep wildlife wild. Once we interfere, we reduce the opportunity for animals to be cared for by their natural mothers and we increase the risk of harming our wildlife heritage.
