Orphaned white-tailed deer fawns moving into habitat at New Bedford zoo

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) – Two orphaned fawns that were brought to the Buttonwood Park Zoo earlier this summer are now big enough to be viewed by the public in a temporary habitat, the Zoo announced Friday.

The first fawn came to the Zoo through MassWildlife at only ten days old. A few weeks later, she was joined by a second female fawn found alone in Western Mass.

The fawns, named Autumn and Olive, required weeks of bottle feeding and weight checks by animal care staff, the Zoo says. The fawns are now ready to move into a temporary habitat near their future permanent home in the bison habitat.

They will share that habitat, a half-acre space, with Sarah the bison and 16 species of waterfowl.

Autumn and Olive are the first white-tailed deer to live at the Buttonwood Park Zoo since 2017.

Autumn and Olive being bottle fed by care staff/courtesy Buttonwood Park Zoo