Mom will return!
Photo by MDIFW's Wildlife Conflict Agent Grierson
Last week, a concerned community member spotted a young fawn walking near their home in the afternoon, blatting. As a wildlife lover, this individual was tempted to intervene, but he remembered hearing that touching or moving a fawn might actually put it at greater risk. So, he chose to wait and observe.
By 5pm, the fawn was still calling out, prompting the individual to do the right thing: he contacted Public Safety Dispatch, who connected him with a Maine Game Warden, Wildlife Biologist, or Wildlife Conflict Agent.
Soon after, and just as the Wildlife Conflict Agent was returning his call, he witnessed the mom slowly make her way across the field and reunite with the fawn.
Thank you to this responsible community member who remembered to contact a trained wildlife professional before interfering with wildlife. He not only helped this fawn stay wild and with its mom, but was able to experience first-hand how incredible nature is.
What may have looked like a fawn in distress was, in fact, a natural part of its learning process—a youngster trying to hurry along its feeding. When people don’t see the mother nearby, they often assume the worst. But in this case, the mother was simply teaching an important lesson: making a lot of noise will not get you an early dinner.
The nutrient profile of a mother’s milk enables a doe to leave her fawn for many hours while she feeds on her own to sustain the demands of nursing. Until the fawn is strong enough to keep up and come along, an adult doe may hide her fawn in the forest floor leaves, returning two or three times a day to nurse. During this time, the fawn is protected from predators by its camouflaged coat and its lack of scent.
Bravo to this wildlife lover for resisting the urge to “rescue” a baby animal that did NOT need rescuing. Thanks to his thoughtfulness and knowledge, this young fawn remains wild where it has the best chance at long-term survival.
Keep wildlife wild. If you care, leave them there.
Learn more at mefishwildlife.com/fawn
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