Wildwoods received a call today from some individuals who had stumbled upon two brand new fawns, still wet from birth! They were concerned that the babies may have been abandoned.

After asking a series of questions, Wildwoods staff were able to determine that the babies were perfectly healthy and instructed the individuals to leave the fawns where they were and back away.

Wildwoods later received a call from the wonderful staff at the Douglas County Humane Society informing us that the individuals made the choice to ignore our instructions and had already picked up the fawns, placed them in a car, and tried to leave them at the shelter. Staff there were able to assess the fawns’ health and determined that they could be returned to the site where they were found.

Deer intentionally park their fawns after birth to keep them hidden from predators. If you find a fawn and you have questions, please call us at 218-491-3604 before interacting with the baby. You may not see the mother in the area, but she will return for her baby! It is essential that new fawns receive their first feeding from their mother to ensure proper health and development. Most fawns are not orphaned and well meaning people may actually be kidnapping them when they choose to ignore instructions from wildlife professionals. Please call your local rehabber before intervening!

Several little raccoon were unnecessarily orphaned when their mama was live-trapped and relocated by a property owner who had no idea that she had babies in his crawl space.

At this time of year, most animals you see on your property will have babies to care for, so please don’t kill them, or live-trap and move them. If you have unwanted tenants denning somewhere undesirable, evict them humanely so that mom and babies can stay together.

Step one: Put a radio tuned to a news channel as close to the den site as possible, and play it 24/7. This is the most useful step. The sound of the human voice does not make wild animals feel safe.

Step two: If you can train lights into the den site, do it. Moms like dens that are dark and quiet, and therefore feel safe.

Step three: Add unattractive odors. Essential oil of peppermint is considered highly obnoxious by many animals, especially rodents.

Give mom 3-7 days to scout out a new den site and move everyone. Once you’ve verified that everyone is gone, close up the entry site. Voila! You’ve kept a wild family alive and together, and earned lots of good karma points!