Please do not pick up newborn fawns
A population explosion takes place in the wild around this time every year. Some newborns are already present and visible. Goslings have been out and about growing rapidly for a month now. Other species of birds have hatched young or are incubating eggs. Some bird species have yet to begin nesting. Regardless of the exact timing, most bird and mammal species will produce young in the spring and early summer. This gives the young the needed time to gain strength and size to be able to survive the challenges of winter or fall migration.
Very soon, deer, elk and moose will give birth. Some of these newborns will make it through the perilous first few days and weeks…and others will not. Fortunately, reproductive potential is high for most wild animal species and despite losses of individuals, populations carry on.
The first few days of life are the most crucial to long term survival. Wild animal newborns are vulnerable to predators until they are able to run or fly well enough to escape predation.
Predators in the first few weeks can include other wild animals such as wolves, mountain lions, bears, bobcats, eagles and others. Domesticated animals such as dogs and cats allowed to run loose can also cause mortality of young wildlife. Pet owners can reduce wildlife injury or death by keeping pets confined.
In the next few weeks, Idaho Fish & Game will begin taking four to five calls a day about deer fawns that have been observed in the wild with no doe visible anywhere in the area. The concern expressed by the caller is usually that the fawn has been “injured,” “abandoned,” or “orphaned.”
While fawns are occasionally injured or orphaned, they are never abandoned. An adult doe has extremely strong parenting instincts and will never abandon a fawn.
In the spring and early summer when wildlife reproduction is at its peak, you may have the good fortune to observe a nest of birds or a litter of young mammals with no adult in sight. Enjoy the sight but if nothing is obviously amiss, it is best to enjoy the experience and leave things alone.
Many species of animals are raised by one adult. It is not unusual that a person will observe a young wild animal alone several times in the course of a day. At the moment you see a young wild animal alone, the adult may be away in search of the offspring’s next meal. A mammalian mother may be close by but not visible while foraging for food that is essential to her ability to nurse her offspring. Even more likely is that the adult has detected your presence and is hiding nearby, keeping a distance away from their young to protect the young and themselves from perceived danger.
Wildlife parents are very devoted to the care of their young. A person should never assume abandonment of a fawn has occurred! Standing watch over a deer fawn, elk calf or duckling tends to keep the parent away, even though it may be nearby. IDFG has had fawns brought in by people who say, “I stayed there and watched it all day, and the doe never came back.” Without realizing it, their own presence may have been enough to keep the doe away.
If you find a seriously injured animal; or, in those extremely rare instances where you know for a fact that a brood or a litter has lost its parent(s), intervention may turn out to be appropriate. If you know with absolute certainty that an animal has been orphaned, contact the Idaho Department of Fish & Game for instruction on the next step.
Do not plan on raising wild animals on your own. Young wildlife require special care and feeding that is beyond what the average household is prepared to manage. Additionally, possession of most species of wildlife taken from the wild is illegal in Idaho. Attempting to make household or backyard pets out of wild animals is a losing proposition. Fuzzy, cute, cuddly raccoons, rabbits, fawns, etc. become adults with adult wildlife instincts and behaviors. None of these are conducive to a life in your home or your backyard.
PHIL COOPER
Idaho Fish & Game