Wildlife Managers: Leave Young Animals Alone

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utahns are running to the great outdoors as pandemic restrictions are lifted. That’s putting hikers and campers on a collision course with young animals like deer fawns and elk calves alone in the wild that look like they have been abandoned by their mothers.

The Department of Wildlife Resources said those animals are not abandoned. Many animals are born in June, which is why they may become more visible to hikers and campers.

The DWR said those animals may be alone, but they are not abandoned.

KEEP ❗️ WILDLIFE ❗️ WILD ❗️
Well-meaning people continue to pull fawns from the wild thinking they need to be bottle fed & rescued, when in actuality, its mother is likely nearby. Deer will leave fawns for hours to draw attention away from them. | https://t.co/dsIktirDlk pic.twitter.com/Vo0S8CYGS9

— UtahDWR (@UtahDWR) June 16, 2020

“Deer fawns are actually alone and isolated during their first weeks of life — and that’s on purpose,” said Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Big Game Coordinator Covy Jones. “The mother knows that leaving the fawn alone is the best way to protect it from predators.”

In a news release, Jones said there are two categories for big game animals. Followers, like bison calves and bighorn sheep lambs follow their mothers after they are born. Hiders, like mule deer fawns and elk caves hide alone.

Jones said the hider doe deer will join up with its newborn to nurse and care for it, then it will draw attention away from the fawn by leaving it again.

The release said fawns have camouflaged coats and do not have much of a scent which makes them harder for predators to find.

The article lists the following things you should do if you come across a fawn or calf that appears to be alone:

• Don’t approach it. Watch it or take a photo of it from a distance, but don’t go near it. In almost every case, the fawn has not been abandoned by its mother.
• Don’t touch it or pet it. Finding and petting newly born animals is another problem because the animal’s survival depends on it being left alone. If you touch it, you may leave your scent on the animal, which could draw predators to it.
• Give it plenty of space. Even if you don’t touch the fawn, getting too close can cause the fawn to run away from you, leaving its hiding place where its mother left it. Then, when the mother comes back to care for the fawn, it won’t be there.

“Keeping your distance and not touching wildlife are the keys to keeping young animals alive,” Jones said.

There are more tips about how to safely live with wildlife at the Wild Aware Utah website.