A Redditor spotted a furry friend in a friend’s yard and shared a photo of it with the r/Athens community.
“Baby deer in my buddy’s backyard,” the original poster wrote.
Photo Credit: Reddit
A healthy, wild yard can prop up all kinds of wildlife, including deer. Not only is a garden with native vegetation great for such visitors, but it’s also low-maintenance. Plants that evolved for the local climate don’t need much watering, unlike grass, for example. Relying more on native alternatives means saving money on water bills and time behind a lawnmower.
That said, wildlife being this comfortable around people isn’t always a good thing. As natural habitats degrade and human settlement pushes farther into them, animals can adjust in unproductive ways. Smaller creatures are likely to be scared away from human noise and smells, reducing opportunities for feeding and mating that would otherwise be available in bordering habitats.
Conversely, large animals can become comfortable with people after repeated exposures. This can lead them to find new food opportunities humans can provide. Those are not often healthy and can cause aggressive behavior that necessitates euthanasia. More encounters with wildlife can also give viruses, including from deer ticks, better chances to leap to humans.
Still, users were happy to see the baby deer had found a restful spot in Georgia and had a few stories of its own.
“We have a family of deer that show up in our backyard every day, right around 5 p.m. Sometimes we see them in the morning as well,” one commenter wrote. “We are at the point where we kind of consider them family. This baby is so cute!”
“We had a family of mom and two babies last year. It was fun watching them grow. Our dog loved them as well,” another person replied. “He still looks for them over behind us every day.”
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