It’s fawning season: prevent accidental ‘fawn-napping’ this year

May and June is fawning season in Kamloops and the Okanagan, and time for a seasonal reminder to leave sleeping fawns alone.

The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals receives calls every spring about ‘orphaned’ fawns found hiding in backyards, fields, parks or meadows.

Some people even bring the animals to the SPCA’s rescue centres, mistakenly believing the animals need help.

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It’s neither uncommon nor unusual for a mother deer to leave a fawn alone for long periods of time, coming back only a few times a day to feed the fawn, who waits in quiet seclusion from predators.

The SPCA says if you find a fawn lying quietly, don’t disturb them. If you’re worried the fawn has been orphaned or abandoned, check on them over 24 hours and see if the fawn has been relocated. It’s also important to keep pets away from where the fawn is hiding.

Sometimes, fawns do get into trouble, however. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator if the fawn:

• hasn’t been moved from its hiding spot within 24 hours
• starts crying
• starts wandering aimlessly
• looks injured
• follows you
• is in an unsafe location

If the fawn needs help, contact the SPCA’s provincial call centre at 1-865-622-7722, or the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

If a fawn must be moved, call a wildlife rehabilitator first. They can move the animal or provide you with the proper advice to move them to a safe spot without injury.

The SPCA advises not to try and catch or care for a deer on your own, as it is illegal to keep wildlife without a permit in British Columbia.

Below is a Youtube video showing a Wild ARC (Wildlife animal rehabilitation centre) staffer reuniting a deer fawn with its mother.

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