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Environmental Information

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1. There’s a newborn fawn in my yard and the mother is nowhere in sight. What should I do?

Leave the fawn where it is and do not disturb the area. The mother is almost always nearby. It is not uncommon for does to leave their young unattended for hours at a time. The reason for this unusual maternal action is that the fawn is better protected away from the doe. The presence of the doe would attract predators because the doe lacks the protective coloration of the fawn, and the older and larger doe has a much stronger odor. Look and enjoy the experience, but do not try to offer the animal any help.

In the event it is known the fawn has been abandoned; for example, the doe is dead nearby, visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website (link below) for a list of DNR licensed rehabilitators, who are trained to handle wild animals and know how to release them so they can live in the wild.
Michigan DNR