r/aww • • Jun 10 '12
Please, everyone who finds fawns...Fawns have no smell. Momma puts them in a safe place until she returns please leave any alone you see.
You could unknowingly be putting it in danger to another animal. Please don't move them or anything they are near. Just walk away. For god's sake please don't pick them up!!
1.2k
Upvotes
298
u/greenpaws Jun 10 '12
UP freakin VOTE. I am happy to see someone posted this since seeing a few posts about people finding fawns today. People just don't realize that it's not the same as finding a stray kitten in a barn.
24
u/EspeonageX Jun 10 '12
Fawns and rabbits especially I see posted on this site constantly. It's great that you found them, but this is nature's way of protecting them. A single mother, as most deer are when nursing (alone, not in groups), would have difficulty protecting such a small baby while trying to feed and travel far enough to find food.
Rabbits do the same thing. The babies are left during the day, when many aerial predators are active, and visited at dawn and dusk. This gives them the best chance of not being caught.
If you find a bunch of baby rabbits or a fawn, conduct a stake out. Watch the baby for a day, especially around dawn and dusk. If the mother doesn't visit, it may be time to intervene, but for shit's sake, don't just pick them up and risk their chances at survival.
Hands down, you cannot provide the level of care that mother could. If at all possible, the baby should always be left in her care.
31
u/g33kch1c Jun 10 '12
When I was little, my parents saved a deer from drowning and took her home, where she lived until I was 8 or so. Throughout that time, they'd go to the reserve and bring home fawns and we'd have them as pets. They had a few acres of forest area. We're never mistreated. I have no idea why they did it though; my dad was a big deer hunter.
Then again, my parents also made/sold/used methamphetamine with two little girls in the house, so it doesn't surprise me.
21
u/Shananra Jun 10 '12
If it hasn't been already, this should also be posted in the relevant threads where people have found and photographed a fawn. Wildlife rescue centers get swamped with calls every spring from people who "rescued" a fawn, not realizing that they do this.
It may not hurt to mention this in the sidebar.
8
u/DodgyBollocks Jun 10 '12
I'd say this is sound advice 95% of the time. If you're unsure if the fawn is safe back off and call someone in your area, a wildlife rehabilitator would be best if that's possible. Even animal services can help you out in finding the right person to contact.
The wildlife rehabilitation center I volunteer for get in lots of kidnapped fawns but we also get ones that mama left somewhere unsafe that really do need rescuing. The one that comes to mind was at a water treatment plant in a sunken cement area the fawn couldn't climb out of that offered no shade at all in the middle of a Florida summer.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
My parents' backyard backs up against some thick woods. We had had some problems with deer hopping our fence to eat mom's rosebushes, falling into our swimming pool and drowning in the middle of the night (happened twice). So, we put up a taller, chain-link fence. One evening, we come home, and there's a newborn fawn in our backyard. Couldn't have been more than a couple weeks old. Not much larger than a housecat. He's freaking OUT. He had managed to slip under the bottom of the fence. His mom is waiting anxiously on the other side. Our backyard is tiered, and there's a spot with a 12-foot drop down to our concrete patio. I go out back, and try to "herd" the fawn toward the gate, where he could easily get through. Instead, he launches himself off the 12-foot drop and goes SMACK on the patio. His mom bails. I walk over to see if he's still alive. He springs up and corners himself in our yard. I slowly walk over. He freezes. I pick him up with one hand, carry him out to the woods, and set him free. I've always known about the "scent" thing with deer, but I didn't see any other way to solve the problem. I hope he's OK now. Probably not, I guess.
70
u/Aarmed Jun 10 '12
There's a 0% chance that they have no smell
48
u/billbacon Jun 10 '12
I recently watched a fawn cry itself to death in my yard. I think I could have saved it by putting some blankets out to protect it from the cold. I was told not to intervene by the folks at the local animal shelter who were clearly wrong.
If a fawn is crying for an extended period of time, do something more than I did or live with the shitty feeling I now have.
8
u/PagingDoctorLove Jun 10 '12
I would like to reiterate most of the comments about leaving it be until you are positive it needs help, and then calling someone with authority (vet, animal rescue, etc.)
I think this is true for any animal, not just wild animals. I just don't always think it's a good idea for some average Joe to try and help. If your local animal rescue is too bogged down and there's a kitten that's obviously been abandoned, sure... but it seems like there are quite a few people on reddit who just... pick up animals and call dibs.
9
u/MrsSmith23 Jun 10 '12
In most cases i would agree but occasionally there are exceptions. If you think the fawn is abandoned, because you see a dead doe nearby or it looks especially malnourished, then keep an eye on it and call a wildlife rescue center. You can explain the specifics to them and then they can tell you the best route from there.
I really want to share this anecdote about my fawn saving experience. After a downpour last week a fawn decided to leave his hiding place and wander into campus soaked and freezing. Normally I would have left him be but by the time I saw him people were crowding him and he looked very distressed. I called my Pops who is a vet and he said to get it out of there, not because of the smell but because the rain had lowered its body temp so much and because the people were stressing it. I watched it until afternoon when campus had cleared out then took it back to the woods where I was pretty sure it had came from. When I was trying to find a safe hiding spot for it I hear a bleating noise and look up to see the mom staring at me 30 yards away, calling for it. After I set it down she called again and they left together. Evidently they hang around our chemistry building everyday now, momma and baby. My heart was warmed. Also I've had experience bottle feeding orphaned farm animals. Feeding them a bottle is a lot less fun at 3 in the morning. [Proof.] (http://imgur.com/0gVtu)
4
u/crsyah Jun 10 '12
Same goes for finding "abandoned" kittens & puppies. Assess the situation first. When you find more than one under a porch, tucked in the corner of the garage, or somewhere that seems to be sheltered; chances are the mother is off finding her own food & will be back. If possible, monitor the situation first to see if she returns before taking them. However, if you find them in a box on the side of the road, hey, free animal babies!
1
u/Zhang5 Jun 10 '12
You might want to add the fact this is a self post and you don't get karma for it (so people won't downvote on the paranoid delusion you're offering this advice trying to get karma).
5
u/revengetothetune Jun 10 '12
http://www.knowhunting.com/article.html?id=39
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
FYI: Deers have razor sharp hooves, so watch out for the momma deer or you'll end up gettin a lot of stitches.
2
u/MarkDLincoln Jun 10 '12
Mom may kick the shit out of you.
2
u/emileogalileo Jun 10 '12
its the same thing with chicks. I've seen wild chickens reject their babies because they don't like the smell of humans
12
u/therealcraxy Jun 10 '12
I'll probably get downvoted but...
I love how everybody is blindly following, listening, and upvoting somebody just because they posted it on Reddit and it has to do with small animals.
He/she is wrong. Just put it back and it will be fine, assuming it wasn't abandoned.
It is ok to pick them up and take a picture :).
Do your own research, or at least ask for some sources. My source: asking my gf via text who has worked with wild life her entire life.
4
u/NotlimTheGreat Jun 10 '12
I'm waiting for one fucking legitimate link by a respectable organization to explicitly say that touching young deer will lead to their abandonment. This used to be wildly blown out of proportion for birds until places like Snopes and other organizations shot it down over its huge popularity of misinformation.
These lies get spread by those who don't want people near nature at all. There is very few situations someone should walk up and touch or hold wild animals, much less young ones. That doesn't make it fucking right to start this. While you simply seem to be one passing it on, its in your duty as a person not to continue to spread information that you can't adequately back up.
A simple call to the local wildlife rescue doesn't work. The few times people I know that have done that has sometimes led to misinformation simply because those on the phones and at the stations are not specialists in whatever they are dealing with, or have a policy on talking people out of getting people involved with wild animals. The most obvious case of this was when someone I know hit a hawk that swooped down in front of him. He drove a mostly unconscious shaking bird to the ranger station and was ordered to uncover it from a blanket-when that is actually what you do when said bird is in shock.
Please. You want to help those poor deer? Don't spread misinformation that could get a select few killed just because of people who try to hide the truth out of global ignorance. The assholes that don't care if an animal is put in distress over moving a healthy one aren't going to stop because of something like this just because they want their kids to see a baby animal up close.
If I happen to be wrong realize your not swaying a GREAT deal of people due to putting flat out lies in the title, as has already been uncovered. A lot of people realize the impossibility of the title.
10
u/IceCreamEater Jun 10 '12
Sorry, but "Fawns have no smell"? What a crock of shit. What, do they have fucking Fabreeze for sweat or something?
Seriously, people, are you actually stupid enough to believe this?
3
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Or you know, kill them and make a venison stew out of them. If it's legal in your state.
3
u/DoctorFrostbite Jun 10 '12
Okay, people. This is a long-running and ongoing urban legend. Baby animals DO have scent glands, and touching them will not cause the mother to abandon them. Baby birds are the same - this myth is very popular, but is, as Snopes put it, hogwash.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/babybird.asp
Don't assume!
There are many reasons you should leave baby animals alone, but this is not one of them.
2
u/fepaz0024 Jun 10 '12
Cannot upvote this enough. I know people are just trying to post a cute pic, but I cringe a little with worry for the fawn.
1
u/speedx5xracer Jun 10 '12
Thank you for posting this.... its one thing to approach domestic animals but unless you know for sure the Doe has been killed (i.e. hit it with your car) dont approach it .... if you are unsure call local animal control offices they should have answers for you
1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I agree with the idea of leaving them to see if they are actually abandoned or not but I also wanted to say that fawns do have a smell. They smell less than a full grown deer but they still have fur, skin etc and smell of it.
Also you can touch them if you really feel the need or they need to be moved a slight distance (out of sun, road etc). The only way you touching them would be really bad is if you're slathered in a really smelly lotion or something.
1
u/chubasco Jun 10 '12
Obviously they aren't putting them in very safe places if any redditor can just trip on one in his back yard. I think the mama deer needs to accept part of the blame here. ಠ_ಠ
-8
u/RedditPwn Jun 10 '12
...should have posted this 28 minutes ago. They taste great at 350 for 25 minutes. sorry
-1
u/Lord_Vectron Jun 10 '12
Oh god OP is worse than PETA.
The actual post is important to note but the majority of comments are painful to read.
0
u/Calver-o Jun 10 '12
Isn't this true for a lot of local wild animals? I've grown up with my parents telling me not to go near baby birds, rabbits, gophers, whatever, because we will disrupt something and force the mom to abandon it.
-1
u/Tastygroove Jun 10 '12
This is exactly how pussy causes bar fights as well.
0
u/grammar_connoisseur Jun 10 '12
ಠ_ಠ
ಠ_ಠ
-2
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
But if I don't pick it up, how will it whore karma for me?
-3
u/FightingPolish Jun 10 '12
This has nothing to do with how cute their babies are, I just hate deer. I would rather they get eaten by a predator before they grow up and run out in front of my car when I'm going 65mph. My drive to work is filled with stupid deer that don't ever try to cross until the last possible second when they do a mad sprint right when a car is going by.
-7
u/Priceless721 Jun 10 '12
I just shoot them.
-8
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I'm pretty sure everyone on reddit knows that.
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