HELP WITH BABY DOE FAWN!!!

[Stacykins]

People dont seem to read before they jump the gun to crap as I said before there is no place to take her, the wild life have other things to worry about because there are people like me that dont mind spending the money and caring for one in need.

I'm sorry, you don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. You have not spoken to an actual professional in wildlife law, and in many places in the United States, keeping said wildlife without a permit is illegal. Honestly, I doubt your internet searches revealed it was legal in your area, call me a skeptic. Because she is likely now bonded with humans, the only future for her when the law inevitably catches up with you is euthanasia. You keep saying there is no place to take her. Did you happen to call the DNR? Did you know that if you simply contacted the Wildlife Rescue League, you could have been hooked up with a licensed, professional wildlife rehabilitator?

You know what a wildlife rehabber is? Someone who has dedicated their lives to properly caring for and handling animals to rehabilitation and release. I get the feeling that when you turned to the internet you help, you instantly chose to look up on whether or not you could legally make her your pet.

This really burns me up, because I've worked at a nature center that takes in animals like your fawn and cares for them in their wildlife veterinary clinic. Some of the animals sadly became permanent residents (the ones that were not euthanized, of course). Not because they were injured or anything. Nope, it was because someone found a fawn, baby owl, etc. and decided to keep it as their pet. These animals were beautiful, healthy, and perfect. But horribly bonded to humans. Heck, one owl even viewed one caretaker as his mate, he was THAT imprinted on humans. Non professionals making them pets did them no favors. Like the groundhog often used for educational programs because he was a sweetheart. He was a pet, very friendly. And then the family dog attacked him. The people realized no vet could treat him, so they tried to himself. He ended up loosing his eyesight and a chunk on his nose due to a raging infection from the wounds, he was dying by the time they did the right thing and surrendered him.

So I am sorry I am being a devil's advocate here. I am sorry I didn't go "aww, how cute" and feel warm fuzzy feelings. No, I felt heartbreak, because I know this fawn is in a bad situation and it will not improve. Love and money don't make it the right thing, you know. I would have felt warm and fuzzy if you'd have brought the animal to someone who could properly care for her, and get her ready for eventual release.

 

[res]

So I am sorry I am being a devil's advocate here. I am sorry I didn't go "aww, how cute" and feel warm fuzzy feelings. No, I felt heartbreak, because I know this fawn is in a bad situation and it will not improve. Love and money don't make it the right thing, you know. I would have felt warm and fuzzy if you'd have brought the animal to someone who could properly care for her, and get her ready for eventual release.

Well said. I completely agree.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

No need to apologize for not feeling warm fuzzies as no one asked you to feel warm fuzzies.

Doing things like living in a house over a small amount of square footage and heating/cooling it, driving a personal vehicle, owning a manicured grass lawn, and having children are all currently examples of things that are putting far more stress on the environment than raising a single commonly found animal, be it a skink or a deer. Concerns about hunters *possibly* shooting a habituated doe can be stated calmly and in a helpful manner. In my area, (illegally kept, but out here in the country, no one from the area has bothered to enforce such laws) collared does do run around without being shot. however, people here wouldn't view their pet deer getting shot and eaten as quite the heartbreaking disaster that I would. They might join the hunter for dinner. My point with that rather crude joke is that the more a response takes into consideration broader situations and viewpoints, the more helpful and likely to be internalized and considered it will be.

 

[steny03]

I'm sorry, you don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. You have not spoken to an actual professional in wildlife law, and in many places in the United States, keeping said wildlife without a permit is illegal. Honestly, I doubt your internet searches revealed it was legal in your area, call me a skeptic. Because she is likely now bonded with humans, the only future for her when the law inevitably catches up with you is euthanasia. You keep saying there is no place to take her. Did you happen to call the DNR? Did you know that if you simply contacted the Wildlife Rescue League, you could have been hooked up with a licensed, professional wildlife rehabilitator?

You know what a wildlife rehabber is? Someone who has dedicated their lives to properly caring for and handling animals to rehabilitation and release. I get the feeling that when you turned to the internet you help, you instantly chose to look up on whether or not you could legally make her your pet.

This really burns me up, because I've worked at a nature center that takes in animals like your fawn and cares for them in their wildlife veterinary clinic. Some of the animals sadly became permanent residents (the ones that were not euthanized, of course). Not because they were injured or anything. Nope, it was because someone found a fawn, baby owl, etc. and decided to keep it as their pet. These animals were beautiful, healthy, and perfect. But horribly bonded to humans. Heck, one owl even viewed one caretaker as his mate, he was THAT imprinted on humans. Non professionals making them pets did them no favors. Like the groundhog often used for educational programs because he was a sweetheart. He was a pet, very friendly. And then the family dog attacked him. The people realized no vet could treat him, so they tried to himself. He ended up loosing his eyesight and a chunk on his nose due to a raging infection from the wounds, he was dying by the time they did the right thing and surrendered him.

So I am sorry I am being a devil's advocate here. I am sorry I didn't go "aww, how cute" and feel warm fuzzy feelings. No, I felt heartbreak, because I know this fawn is in a bad situation and it will not improve. Love and money don't make it the right thing, you know. I would have felt warm and fuzzy if you'd have brought the animal to someone who could properly care for her, and get her ready for eventual release.

I could not agree more.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I also agree you should take this baby to a rehabber. A friend of mine found a fawn in their field while cutting hay. They brought it home and raised it in the house just like you're doing. It was really cute to bottle feed it and watch it sleep in the bed. Then, it grew up into a big, beautiful doe. They still "have" this doe. She hangs out in their yard. They can't have people over for cook outs or visits anymore because their "pet" deer humps everyone who steps foot in their yard. She also likes to walk on their vehicles and chew on their house.

My point is, there will come a time when its not cute anymore. What will you do when you put your collar on your doe and release her....and she doesn't go anywhere? How will you feel when she pays you back for all of that love by making your life miserable? If that fawns mother truely had abandoned it, then that fawn should have stayed where it was and become food for another animal. That's how nature works, its ruff but its true.

I come from a family of "Aw, let's save the cute baby" and I don't agree with them anymore than I agree with you. Call the appropriate people, every state has fish and game, and they'll be able to put you in contact with a rehabber.

As for it being legal to keep the fawn, in most states it is perfectly legal to have them....if YOU'RE A LEGIT WILDLIFE REHABBER.

 

[dainerra]

the purpose of saving the fawn is lost when you take away it's ability to be a DEER. Sadly, pet deer never get that chance. They are too imprinted on humans to ever adapt to life in the wild. When they become nuisance animals (deer DO attack humans) then the only option is to have them put down.

 

[nok13]

ive raised and rehab'd more then a fair share of baby gazelles for instance and they are real nuisances when adults. does are less problematic but what about the males? and we had problems with males breeding our rehab'd females cause u cant fence them in anywhere. we had gazelles and ibexes climbing on people to get to the baby bottle (or standing in a baby carriage). i have a personal rule: after years and years of rehabbing etc, me and my kids, either call the israeli versionof wildlife rescue, or leave the baby where it is. either it will be food for an other animal (and its babies) or it will survive. we ahve an additional problem in that people see baby gazelles and thing the mother abandoned it but in actuallity she leaves it even for more then a day, hidden in brush so that predators wont follow her and find it. then peole 'rescue' them.
anyway, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. but then again, i am against 'no kill' shelters for similar reasons.
rehabing injured wildlife is rewarding if u can manage to get the animal back out again. but from past experience, teh longer the animal was in 'rescue', or treated as a pet, the worse it is for the animal and often find them dead anyhow so unless it is a rare species or a needed sex (missing a male for genetic pool additions,like the program for theibexes here), the heart based decsion is not often the wise decision. we've had the same problem with wild ravens and other birds with comical if not bad results (i personally have two wild doves who were rescues and still enter my house through the door ,as they arent afraid of my two dogs. they are annoying, but still. recently one was eaten by a feral cat , since they rarely flew away from family pets.