Abandoned fawns

Every Spring deer like this one are found in our countryside. They are thought to have been abandoned but this is often not the case. The real facts are:

• It has not been abandoned.
• The fawn is born with no scent to protect it against predators so
• the mother leaves it when she goes to feed, but returns every two to three hours to feed it day and night. 
• The mother is rarely far away and the only thing stopping her returning to her young is the presence of human beings. 
• The success rate of hand rearing is extremely low.
• Those that are successfully reared rarely survive long after release into the wild.
• Hand reared male roe deer are extremely dangerous: there have been fatal attacks recorded in Europe.

If you find a fawn:

• Move away immediately.
• If you have a dog keep it on a lead and under full control.
• If the fawn has been moved it should be returned as soon as possible to the place where it was found; its mother will be close by.