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News > May 2008 > Wildlife
Hotline Tips
 Wildlife
Hotline Tips
May usually brings the first born of the white-tailed
fawns and our phone lines light up with callers who mistakenly
worry that a fawn they found in the backyard or alongside
the road has been abandoned. Do not be too quick to assume
that a fawn has been abandoned. Mother white-tails hide their
babies in tall grass and brush. They tend to them in the mornings
and evenings, and often leave them alone for as many as 8
or 10 hours at a time. Mother deer hide their fawns well and
because the babies have no scent that would be detected by
predators, what may seem to you to be a situation in which
a baby has been abandoned is actually a means of protection.
Observe from an extensive distance and if you do not see the
mother return at dusk the same evening, call the WRR
24-Hour Emergency Hotline at (830) 336-2725. We will advise
you on next steps. Do not remove the baby until we have determined
for certain that he has been abandoned.
Myth Dispelled: Many of us have been told
that if you handle a baby wild animal, the mother will no
longer care for her. This is absolutely FALSE. If you lost
your child in a shop and a stranger led her back to you by
the hand, would you no longer recognize your child and refuse
to care for her again? Wildlife mothers and fathers are devoted
parents. A baby bird who has fallen from the nest can and
should be placed back in the original or a makeshift nest.
A fawn who has been mistakenly taken from his mother should
be placed back where he was found and reunited with his family.
The WRR 24-Hour Emergency Hotline is here
to help animals in trouble, and we do that by answering your
questions and counseling you as to the best course of action.
Unfortunately, thousands of animals need our care every year,
but not every call results in an animal coming to the rehabilitation
clinic. Often, the best course of action is no action at all.
Questions? Call the Hotline at (830) 336-2725.
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