RIDEM reminds public not to remove baby animals from the wild

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is reminding the public to not remove baby animals from the wild.

White-tailed deer give birth to fawns in May and June. RIDEM says every year they receive calls about fawns being abandon by their mother. Officials say this is almost never the case.

“In nature, a doe gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is incapable of following the doe, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled ‘freeze’ position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush,” said Dylan Ferreira, a wildlife biologist in DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Sometimes, however, well-intentioned people will assume the fawn is abandoned and tak tit home to ‘save’ it from predators or domestic animals. In fact, the doe will often be nearly out of sight and will only come to the fawn a few times during the day or after dark to feed it. If yhou see a fawn in this condition, please leave it alone. The mother will return to feed and care for it.”

Officials say if there is no dead doe nearby or on the road, the fawn should not be considered abandoned.

If you come across a fawn, the best practice would be to leave the area and avoid creating any disturbance near it.

It is illegal in Rhode Island to remove a deer from the wild and keep it in captivity or as a pet.

Any fawn injured by a pet, vehicle or farm equipment should be reported directly to the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island at 401-294-6363. Click here for more information on when it’s appropriate to assist young wildfire.