SPCA: Don’t bother the fawns

From the SPCA for Monterey County

The SPCA for Monterey County advises our community for their safety and the safety of our wildlife to please leave baby deer, known as fawns, alone. So far this Spring, the SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center has received four fawns and two of them were healthy babies almost taken from their mothers unintentionally. While two were successfully reunited with their mothers and two are still in our care, sadly, two did not survive their encounters with humans.

Mother deer leave their babies hidden and alone in a safe space during most of the day, often only visiting them during dawn and dusk. These fawns are not abandoned; the mother is likely out of sight watching you. If you find a fawn lying quietly in the grass leave it where it is, stay back and out of sight, and keep dogs as far away as possible. The mother will not return if she senses people or dogs are too close. If a fawn has been picked up or handled, gently place it back in the exact place where it was found, or within sight of that spot. Stand back several hundred feet, and wait for the mother’s return (which could take hours).

If you are worried that the fawn might be in distress, look for the following signs:
* labored breathing
* walking and vocalizing for over an hour
* blood
* clearly broken bones
* lying prone on its side (rather than curled or on its stomach)
* a deceased mother on site

If you see these signs, please do not rescue the fawn yourself. Call the SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center immediately at 831-264-5427. Once contacted, our technicians will evaluate the situation and give you instructions on how to proceed.

A fawn lying quietly in a curled position on its stomach is very likely not in need of rescue.

Do not attempt to rescue a fawn without the guidance of our technicians. Never bring a fawn into your home. Fawns are extremely sensitive to stress. The terror of being handled by humans and receiving any incorrect care or incorrect diet, even for just one day, severely decreases a fawn’s chances for survival and release.

The SPCA Wildlife Center is available for emergency wildlife rescues 24 hours a day. To support our work, please visit www.SPCAmc.org/donate.

The SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is the only full service wildlife rehabilitation center serving Monterey County. We operate under permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Your support is extremely important to us, as we do not receive funding from any federal, state or local government agency.  Each year, The SPCA Wildlife Center admits over 2,000 animals for treatment and care.

The SPCA for Monterey County is your nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society that has been serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. The SPCA is not a chapter of any other agency and does not have a parent organization.  They shelter homeless, neglected and abused pets and livestock, and provide humane education and countless other services to the community. They are the local agency you call to investigate animal cruelty, rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, and aid domestic animals in distress.

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