A woman made a brand-new friend after helping a trapped fawn out of a sticky situation in New Jersey.

In a video posted by ABC News on Instagram, the kind woman spotted the baby deer stuck in a drain grate and helped her out. Once the woman freed the baby, she began to follow her around. The woman encouraged the sweet baby to head back into the forest, but she stayed close to her instead.

At one point, the woman told the baby, “I’m not your momma,” but the fawn followed her anyway.

The woman eventually led the fawn over to her mother and sibling and encouraged her to stay with them. But despite her efforts, the fawn seemed content with sticking by the woman’s side.

The sweet moment went viral online, with people gushing over the bond the fawn formed with the woman after the rescue.

“This popped [up on] my doom scroll just when I needed it,” one person wrote in the comments. Others also agreed that if they had a fawn follow them around the way the baby did, that they “would have to keep the deer 🦌” and would be “a new pet.”

“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” another person added. “What an amazing lady. Restoring faith in humanity.”

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What to Do If You Find a Baby Deer

Sometimes, when you find a fawn out in a field, their mothers are actually closer than you may think. According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), “Female deer hide their newborn fawns in tall grass or brush and move some distance away to feed to avoid drawing predators to their offspring.”

So if a faw is quietly sitting in the grass, it’s best to leave them alone while they wait for their mother to return. It’s also important to especially keep pets and children away from the fawn.

However, if you spot a fawn in danger or hurt, then it’s time to step in. The NWF reccoemndeds to never touch the fawn especially since they’re wild animals and reach out to the local wildlife rehabilitator who can provide further information on next steps.

Related: Scared Baby Deer Was Stuck in the Middle of a Busy Highway Until Strangers Stepped In

This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.