Fawns are born after an eight-month gestation period. They weigh four to eight pounds at birth and stand about 14 inches tall. Their spotted coats provide camouflage in the woods, but they will lose these spots by their first birthday. They also lose their spots in patches over several years after reaching adulthood.
What to Do if You Find a Baby Fawn
A baby fawn is a beautiful thing to find. But it’s also stressful if you aren’t sure what to do. A man in the video experiences a fascinating encounter with a fawn. As soon as he opens his door, the fawn stares in adoration at him without fleeing. If you find a deer fawn, consider several essential things before taking action.
Leave It Alone
The best thing for the fawn and its mother is for them to stay together. Mother deer will not abandon their young, even if they die or are injured. If you spot a fawn on its own and think its mother might have abandoned it, look around to see if they’re nearby. Sometimes mama deer will be out of sight but nearby.
Protect It From Predators
Put yourself between the fawn and any dogs or other animals that might harm it. Do not try to capture a wild animal unless you are trained in handling wild animals safely.
Keep Children Away
Keep children away from the fawn as much as possible so as not to stress it unnecessarily or scare it away from its natural mother’s instincts when she returns.
Call a Wildlife Rehabilitator
Wildlife rehabilitators are licensed by the state and trained to care for injured animals. They will know how to help get the fawn back on its feet.
Keep It Warm and Quiet
The fawn will likely be scared and disoriented when found by humans. Try not to make any sudden movements or loud noises that might startle it further. Instead, place it in a box with some bedding material (dry leaves work best) and put that box inside another box with enough room for air circulation but not enough for the fawn to jump out of its safe area.
What Animal Kills the Most Fawns?
The predator that kills the most fawns is the coyote. Coyotes are a major threat to fawns because they are intelligent, opportunistic hunters and can travel long distances in search of food. A coyote can eat a healthy fawn in one night, taking only its liver, heart, and other internal organs. Another predator that kills many fawns is the domestic dog or cat. Dogs will often hunt small animals like squirrels, rabbits, and birds by tracking their scent trails until they find them hiding under brush piles or another cover. Black bears also enjoy eating deer fawns, but only when other food sources are scarce. For example, they rely on berries and fruit in the summer, so they don’t hunt much during those months. But in fall, when berries are gone, black bears begin hunting deer fawns again because they’re easier to catch than adult deer.
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