A baby deer rescued from barbed wire received veterinary care and a chance to reunite with its mother. But after the rescuer found the fawn wandering alone again, a reported restriction on rehabilitation left its fate uncertain.
Here’s what to know
The rescuer turned to Reddit for advice on returning the fawn to where it was found after seeking veterinary care. “This little fella was caught up in some barbed wire. Got him free, and stitched up at a vet,” the original poster wrote.
Photo Credit: Reddit
The poster added several images, which warrants a warning for one of them showing the stitched wound from the barbed wire.
The fawn was released back to the rescuer while coming off of sedation medication. The rescuer hoped to reunite it with its mother but worried she might not return.
They asked, “How should I handle the release? I can go back to the exact spot I found him. I just [don’t] want to release him, and the mother never [comes] back around. What should my next steps be?”
In an update, the rescuer reported no apparent limp and described how the animal had begun cooing quietly and trying to move.
“I know [deer] like routine, so [I’m] hoping that by morning they will be reunited,” the rescuer wrote. “I’m no professional, [I] just really love animals. I did the best I could with what I knew. I just hope the little guy makes it.”
More background
In another update, the rescuer shared a harsh reality about some wildlife rescue attempts.
“[I] ended up finding the deer roaming around the neighbors house alone today … I called my local wildlife resource agency. They informed me that no rehabs are allowed to take in wild deer because they are prone to carry CWD (chronic wasting disease) and the only thing [I] should do is take it back where he was first found and shoo it away,” they explained.
“No feeding, nothing. And to let nature do its thing. [It’s] not the fairy tale ending I had hoped for, but [it’s] what the wildlife agency instructed, so [it’s] what I did.”
They continued, “I have prior rehab experience with wildlife. If I had the space for an animal like that, I would have rehabilitated it myself, but I don’t.”
What can be done?
Commenters offered suggestions for handling similar situations.
“I would have played fawn distress calls to lure in Mom, then sat nearby in my car to observe if she did come back. If a few hours passed and the fawn was still alone, I would have taken the fawn into rehab,” one commenter seemingly experienced in rehabilitating fawns shared. “Hopefully this kid met up with their mom, the timeline seems hopeful, but I prefer to have confirmation before leaving them.”
The thread never confirmed whether the fawn reunited with its mother. Reflecting on the decision to intervene, the rescuer wrote, “Just did what my heart told me to do. Finding a young animal in distress like that, [I] had to do whatever I could.”
Where can I learn more?
Other rescuers have faced similar situations with deer caught in fencing and fawns found without their mothers.
• A driver freed a choking deer bare-handed from a backyard soccer net when help didn’t arrive.
• In Michigan, firefighters widened a subdivision gate to free a fawn wedged inside.
• In southern Alberta, officers hooded and hoisted a deer to free it from fencing.
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