Keep Wildlife Wild: Admire Fawns From Afar, Mom Is Near
As the weather warms and people spend more time outdoors, state wildlife officials remind everyone that many young wild animals are born this time of year, including whitetailed deer fawns. Newborn fawns hide quietly for long periods of time while their mothers feed nearby. A quiet fawn found alone is not abandoned. To ensure their safety and to keep wildlife wild, the public should enjoy viewing fawns from afar. According to Department of Natural Resources wildlife health conservation specialist Amanda Kamps, cochair of the Keep Wildlife Wild team, people often come across a fawn lying down alone in their yard or even next to a building and mistakenly think the fawn has been abandoned. In fact, a fawn that is lying down quietly has not been abandoned; the mother doe is nearby. 'The best chance of survival for a young fawn is to be quiet and still, concealing itself in its surrounding environment,' said Kamps. 'Very young fawns are not able to keep up with their mom, so instead she will leave her fawn concealed in a place where she feels it is safe.' The natural protective behavior of a mother doe is different than that of human mothers. Hiding quietly is a fawn's best protection from predators, especially in the first few days of life. Because young fawns have very little scent, predators cannot see, hear or smell them so long as they stay still and quiet. It is typical for a mother doe to leave her young fawns unattended except for brief nursing visits a few times a day. Occasionally, she will move her fawn to a new hiding place.
What Do I Do If I Find
