It’s May, so you may start to see white-tailed deer and their sweet little fawns throughout Mill Creek MetroParks and even in your yard or other areas. What should you do if you find a fawn without its mother?

First: DO NOT touch or disturb the fawn. Chances are that the mother is not very far away and will return shortly.
Second: make sure you keep your dogs away – the fawn won’t want to play with them!

While fawns are able to walk soon after birth, a mother deer will leave her young fawns to rest in a secluded location while she goes off to feed. Their natural instincts tell the fawns to lie low and they are generally safe from predators and other harm. Mothers return to their fawns throughout the day to allow them to nurse. In our area, fawns are often spotted in yards and parks, where people mistake the lone fawns for orphans or believe they are in distress and need human intervention. The reality is that even young deer do not need our help – they are born hard-wired with strong instincts to survive.

If you would like to learn more about fawns, call the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-WILDLIFE.

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