RI Fawn, Baby Animal Season: Officials Remind Public To Keep Distance

Cranston RI

25 May, 2022

4:09 PM

Description

RHODE ISLAND — Spring is fully here, and that means lots of fawns and other baby animals are around Rhode Island. Sometimes those animals might lie motionless and look like they need rescuing, but that doesn't mean they do. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is urging residents not to touch baby deer and other young animals. A fawn (baby deer) lying on the ground hidden in grass or brush should not be considered abandoned, state environmental officials said. It should be left alone by people and pets because moving or handling it may permanently separate it from its mother and jeopardize its life. 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, officials said. "In nature, the mother deer gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is incapable of following the mother, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled 'freeze' position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush," said DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Dylan Ferreira. "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 the fawn. If you see a fawn in this condition, please leave it alone. The mother will return to feed 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 mother. Interference by handling and taking fawns from the wild by people 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. 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 counter-intuitive 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. Read more about fawns and other baby animals here.