A birth story in his yard breeds a messaging opportunity for one Victoria dad and BC SPCA wild animal specialists.
Leave Bambi alone, but call the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre if you have questions.
Robert “Lucky” Budd spotted a fawn on his lawn late Thursday (June 7) afternoon.
This precious angel was born in my front yard a little over an hour ago. I’m assured her mum will come back after dark. I’m so grateful to live in such a magical place, my kids were stoked!! Also, deer spelled backwards is reed, that’s a super sweet #levidrome 😊 pic.twitter.com/Utqvv8C4ME
— Lucky Budd (@lucky_budd) June 8, 2018
The mother deer delivered twins in the neighbour’s yard and split the pair up, leaving one curled up in the Budd yard. This is not an unusual move, says Wild ARC manager Andrea Wallace.
“When baby deer are born they’re too small and weak to follow their mom around all day,” Wallace said. A doe will find a safe place for her fawn, and when there are two, she’ll separate them into two safe locations, then head off for the day to forage.
Many think an animal is abandoned in that situation, Wallace said.
The Budd family wasn’t fooled, and kept interested neighbours and pets away, leaving it lie. All the right things according to Wild ARC.
“When a deer fawn is lying down all curled up not making any noise and just sitting there, that’s perfectly normal. Mom will come back,” Wallace said. “If the fawn is seen in the same location for days on end, and then it starts to get up, calling and crying looking for it’s mom, that’s when we know the fawn is in distress.”
This baby napped in the yard, to the joy of Budd’s young children, Levi and Emma. (Levi Budd is the Victoria boy behind the word levidrome. He notes, deer and reed, are a prime example.)
“This little bunny like Thumper came over and checked her out,” said Lucky. “Then the mom came back, the little fawn lifted its head and the mom went off to check on the other baby.” The deer and fawn moved in the middle of the night.
“She’ll come back several times during the day but usually not for very long,” Wallace explained.
The key message is don’t touch a fawn or allow children or domestic pets to go near.
“If we go up to the deer fawn, we’re like a giant predator,” Wallace said.
The rare occasion is if the fawn is in peril. They will, Wallace explained, get startled and run a brief stint then remember mother’s instructions to lie down.
“Sometimes they do that in poor places like close to the side of the road and even the middle of the road,” Wallace said. In that case, move the young deer off the road to a grassy area adjacent. Then rub your hands in grass and dirt and rub that over the fawn in a bid to eradicate scent. “As long as it’s lying down and being quiet we expect mom would come back.”
When in doubt call Wild ARC in Metchosin at 250-478-9453 for advice. They also at times ask for photos emailed to help@wildarc.com.
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