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2 week old fawn at Witter Wildlife Refuge
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
DEER DELEMA
Deer are one of the most common wild animals in North America. They range in size from under 60 pounds (the endangered Key Deer in South Florida) to over 400 pounds in the closely related more Northen subspecies. The hair on a deer is hollow providing incredible insulation even in the coldest weather.
They are primarily vegetarian but have been seen eating dead fish on occasion. I guess they like SUSHI. In the winter they survive on tree buds, bark, and acorns, in the spring they supplement with fruit, and in the summer and fall eat mostly leafy greens and succulents. They also come from miles away to eat my garden, generally the day before I plan to harvest.
In the Spring I get numerous calls from people that find baby deer (fawns). Many people assume that a fawn alone is abandoned or orphaned. This is rarely the case since the mother deer (doe) intentionally leave their babies alone during daylight hiding them in tall grass or thickets. It is much easier to conceal a 4 pound infant from predators without a huge mother standing beside it to attract attention. Nursing occurs about once every 4-6 hours in quick visits from Mom. After dark the doe will generally stay with the fawn to guard it against the wild night life of the great outdoors after hours. The fawn will not move from the spot Mom places them unless you practically step on them. The best thing to do if you discover a lone fawn is to leave it where you find it unless it is injured or in immediate danger. The mother is almost always a short distance from the baby keeping a watchful eye.
Many fawns are discovered by Farmers mowing hay fields hidden in the tall grass. By simply leaving the fawn in the mowed field the mother will move it to a new concealed location as soon as she feels nothing is watching. A fawn mistakenly taken by well meaning people can be returned to the place it was found for up to 48 hours with every likelihood the mother will reclaim it. A Doe will look for a displaced young'un for days before leaving the area. Contrary to popular belief human scent on the fawn will not prevent the mother from rescuing her baby anymore than a deer scent on a human baby would cause us to write off our kids. Taking care of a fawn is a difficult and delicate process. They must be fed every 4 hours for up to 8 weeks. Their privates must be stimulated to make them relieve themselves. As if that was not fun enough they also need to be wiped and washed without getting kicked by their very sharp little hooves. They must be kept away from loud noises and fed the right formula or they will get diarrhea and dehydrated. Goat milk is the best substitute but unpasterized milk can kill a deer if the goat has Cocidia, a common bacteria carried by many goats. Fawns also need to be in contact with the ground to lick up minerals and salts found in soil. Ideally a fawn to be released back to the wild should be raised with other deer and fed by only one person to prevent it from becoming unafraid of other people.
Up to a million deer a year are involved in traffic accidents, most are fatal to the deer and many to the human drivers. Deer very often travel in groups. If you see a deer cross the highway ahead of you, slow down and assume more are right behind it. It could save your life. Deer can do tremendous damage to a garden. They find many flowers almost irresistible (especially impatients) and are also attracted to heavily fertilized plants.
I was thrilled to discover a book on deer-proofing the garden. Unfortunately some of the solutions offered were less than practical such placing tiger urine or manure around the perimeter. Besides the fact it might be seriously hazardous procuring a supply, I was pretty sure I did not want to spend my weekend spreading it around my yard. I selected a more conservative suggesting, hanging bars of deodorant soap from the trees and bushes. According to the book deer have an extremely acute sense of smell and become very uneasy if they smell unfamiliar scents. This worked for about three days and the deer ate the soap. In the fine print at the back of the book it does explain that any repellent rarely works more than a short while before the deer get use to it. I guess you are supposed to alternate the soap with lion, tiger and bear droppings. I opted to just plant a little extra, there is only so much I'm willing to do for a few vegetables.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
