Voices in Humanism

Fawntastic!

I came upon this lovely fawn nestled down in the pachysandra that covers our back yard. Its mother was nowhere in sight. When this first happened several years ago, we worried that the mother had abandoned the fawn. Upon checking, we found that this is entirely normal.

National Wildlife Federation Blog:
“Finding a Fawn: What To Do—Lone Fawns are Not Abandoned”
There is a strong probability that you did not find an abandoned fawn. Female deer hide their newborn fawns in tall grass or brush and move some distance away to feed to avoid drawing predators to their offspring. With the proliferation of deer in suburban areas, sometimes this happens right in our own yards. The fawn simply waits in hiding until its mother returns. Soon, the fawns will be strong enough to follow the does and run from predators, and they no longer need to spend hours alone in hiding. Though it seems that they are vulnerable, these young fawns are not totally helpless. Their spotted pelts look like dappled sunlight on the forest floor and offer great camouflage. They do not have strong scent that would attract predators. Fawns are also programmed to keep totally still and quiet when hiding while their mother forages. The combination of the physical attributes and the behavior of both does and fawns are remarkably successful at limiting depredation at such a vulnerable time.

Laurence B. Stone, MA
Retired Director of the Ohio Judicial College
Graphic Designer: Voices in Humanism
Linda’s Greatest Fan