Hey…could you all be cool and leave young wildlife alone. pic.twitter.com/PPuBostTz5
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) June 22, 2023
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), as well as the CPW North East Region, have gone on a bit of a twitter rant hoping to educate the public on what not to do when they see a fawn, or any young wildlife for that matter, and we wanted to pass the message along.
CPW NE Region kicked off the information upload with this tweet, explaining that though a fawn may be spotted alone in the woods, it has not been abandoned. The mother will likely return soon after it finished gathering food.
This 👏 fawn 👏 is 👏 fine 👏
Please don't pet or move fawns alone in the wild. Mom is gathering food nearby and will return soon. The fawn has not been abandoned and it's not a toy! pic.twitter.com/YnGKHKusOz
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) June 13, 2023
The state wide Colorado Parks and Wildlife twitter reiterated this point with a good meme about the public’s habit of trying to help baby deer and young wildlife. Despite the fact that fawn are, in fact, incredibly adorable, and despite the fact that the fawn you see in the woods might look sad, it’s not!
According to CPW, mother deer intentionally leave their fawn alone for hours on end. While a large adult could easily attract a predator, baby deer have impeccable camouflage, little scent, and move very little. Trying to help will likely only do more harm. This goes for most animals. Baby birds that seem abandoned may simply be learning to fly close by their nest, and nearly all baby mammals remain scentless to avoid attracting predators.
“If 24 hours go by and the parent does not return, it is possible the newborn was abandoned or the parent is dead (hit by a car, for example). Call our office and we will work with certified wildlife rehabilitation center to get aid for the wildlife if possible. Don’t move the animal yourself!” -CPW customer service expert Jenny Campbell
Image Credit: CPW NE Region via Twitter