Jann in TX Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 My dd is 30 weeks pregnant and had a very bad day at school today-- she is a dyslexic teacher at a very impoverished middle school... On the way home she saw an injured fawn -- who had just been hit by a car (about 1 year old-- still some spots on rump). She could not just pass by (rural road)... so she picked him up (50 or so pounds!) and loaded him in the back of her SUV... When she got home with him DH and I thought she was crazy! He was able to move his legs and neck-- but clearly there was a head injury (he was DIZZY) and he could not stand... he had minor injuries to his legs and a few road rash... he looked like he was dying-- but he would rest a few minutes then try to get up again... DH called some places (all just closed for night) and finally after an hour dd found a rescue center just over an hour away who would take him. We were skeptical -- he really did not look like he would survive... Well-- they just got home (DH drove her and the fawn)... the fawn has a concussion-- but other injuries are NOT life threatening! He has a chance if he can stay quiet for a few days... DD can finally relax from her hard day-- Her maternal instincts got a work out today! 30 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 YAY FOR YOUR DD!!! She sounds like a lovely, kindhearted person and you must be so proud of her. Thank goodness she and the baby weren’t harmed, though — she took a real risk to save that fawn. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 That is so sweet. I am glad your dd stopped for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 That is an amazing act of kindness. Your dd is awesome!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Bless her heart! And the fawn's too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Oh my goodness your DD is so sweet and awesome. Not all heroes wear capes! 😍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Those pregnancy hormones can sure make you do crazy things! 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Praise the Lord! You raised a good girl, momma. ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 She's got a good heart, however from what I've seen about wildlife rescue, you should leave the fawn in place as the mother will be nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 18 minutes ago, wintermom said: She's got a good heart, however from what I've seen about wildlife rescue, you should leave the fawn in place as the mother will be nearby. Usually this is VERY true. It makes my heart hurt so badly when I hear of people "rescuing" so-called abandoned fawns who were just carefully hidden by their momma to keep them safe! However, in this case, the fawn was about a year old, well past weaning, and was also injured. I think she made a good call this time. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 She was very kind. What Wintermom said is true in general - unless it is clearly injured and in distress, or you can see that Mama is dead, it's almost always better to leave baby animals where they are - but that rule of thumb gets slightly iffy when we're talking about an animal hit by a car. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, MercyA said: Usually this is VERY true. It makes my heart hurt so badly when I hear of people "rescuing" so-called abandoned fawns who were just carefully hidden by their momma to keep them safe! However, in this case, the fawn was about a year old, well past weaning, and was also injured. I think she made a good call this time. Birds too. Baby birds hopping along on the ground are just fine, folks - they're safer there than in the nest, but Mom and Dad are probably real close by. Or rabbits, another animal that shows its maternal love by NOT spending much time with the babies - they don't want to attract predators, so they leave their babies alone much of the day. Lone bunnies are also probably just fine. Edited October 10, 2019 by Tanaqui 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted October 10, 2019 Author Share Posted October 10, 2019 3 hours ago, wintermom said: She's got a good heart, however from what I've seen about wildlife rescue, you should leave the fawn in place as the mother will be nearby. He was in the middle of a rural country road-- unable to get up (too dizzy due to concussion). DD almost ran over him (road is narrow, winding and it was almost dusk). Next vehicle to pass would have probably killed him (most are large farm trucks). There was no shoulder to move him too-- and even then he would not have survived without being taken to a rescue center... nothing a mommy deer could have done! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 1 minute ago, Jann in TX said: He was in the middle of a rural country road-- unable to get up (too dizzy due to concussion). DD almost ran over him (road is narrow, winding and it was almost dusk). Next vehicle to pass would have probably killed him (most are large farm trucks). There was no shoulder to move him too-- and even then he would not have survived without being taken to a rescue center... nothing a mommy deer could have done! She did the right thing. It would have been different if she moved a fawn that was hidden away in the woods. But I am sure she knows that. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jann in TX said: He was in the middle of a rural country road-- unable to get up (too dizzy due to concussion). DD almost ran over him (road is narrow, winding and it was almost dusk). Next vehicle to pass would have probably killed him (most are large farm trucks). There was no shoulder to move him too-- and even then he would not have survived without being taken to a rescue center... nothing a mommy deer could have done! I can definitely feel for your dd. When I came upon an injured deer beside the road I stayed with the deer and phoned the wildlife rescue centre and then the local police to find out what was the best thing to do. What would your dd have done, alone in a vehicle, if the fawn started thrashing about, etc.? It could have injured itself more under the added stress of being confined in a vehicle, or your dd could have had a collision from being distracted. I'm so happy that this situation turned out well, but being a public forum it's good to think about the others who are reading these threads as well, who may encounter similar situations. Edited October 10, 2019 by wintermom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 7 minutes ago, wintermom said: I can definitely feel for your dd. When I came upon an injured deer beside the road I stayed with the deer and phoned the wildlife rescue centre and then the local police to find out what was the best thing to do. What would your dd have done, alone in a vehicle, if the fawn started thrashing about, etc.? It could have injured itself more under the added stress of being confined in a vehicle, or your dd could have had a collision from being distracted. I'm so happy that this situation turned out well, but being a public forum it's good to think about the others who are reading these threads as well, who may encounter similar situations. I live in an area with many deer, and collisions with deer are very common. Here, if the police are called about an injured deer, they shoot it. At least Jann's dd gave this deer a chance at life, rather than it being put down by the police or hit by another vehicle. Sure, there are things that could have gone wrong, but they didn't - so all's well that ends well. I'm really glad that Jann shared this with us - her dd's kindness and compassion made my day!🙂 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 52 minutes ago, Selkie said: I live in an area with many deer, and collisions with deer are very common. Here, if the police are called about an injured deer, they shoot it. At least Jann's dd gave this deer a chance at life, rather than it being put down by the police or hit by another vehicle. Sure, there are things that could have gone wrong, but they didn't - so all's well that ends well. I'm really glad that Jann shared this with us - her dd's kindness and compassion made my day!🙂 The reality is that these beautiful, rescued creatures can die anyway (and that is heart-breaking for the rescuer, too), and there are reasons the police have to kill injured deer (safety of the traffic, safety of people who may pick up the dead animal and eat it when it's not safe to do this, etc.). The police aren't necessary there for evil purposes. It's always wonderful to give something a chance at life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 4 hours ago, Tanaqui said: Birds too. Baby birds hopping along on the ground are just fine, folks - they're safer there than in the nest, but Mom and Dad are probably real close by. Or rabbits, another animal that shows its maternal love by NOT spending much time with the babies - they don't want to attract predators, so they leave their babies alone much of the day. Lone bunnies are also probably just fine. Yep! i once made the mistake of “rescuing” a magpie who seemed abandoned. I took it to my sis place who has done a bit of rescue work and she sent me straight back with it. Thankfully mum and dad flew down with food! Instead of rescuing I had been kidnapping! 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 6 minutes ago, wintermom said: The reality is that these beautiful, rescued creatures can die anyway (and that is heart-breaking for the rescuer, too), and there are reasons the police have to kill injured deer (safety of the traffic, safety of people who may pick up the dead animal and eat it when it's not safe to do this, etc.). The police aren't necessary there for evil purposes. It's always wonderful to give something a chance at life. I didn't say or imply anything about the police being evil, so not sure how you got that impression.🤷♀️ We will have to agree to disagree on Jann's dd, because I think she did a great thing. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurieD Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 3 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said: Yep! i once made the mistake of “rescuing” a magpie who seemed abandoned. I took it to my sis place who has done a bit of rescue work and she sent me straight back with it. Thankfully mum and dad flew down with food! Instead of rescuing I had been kidnapping! I'm surprised you didn't get made painfully aware at the time that you were kidnapping, magpie parents are scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 11 hours ago, AurieD said: I'm surprised you didn't get made painfully aware at the time that you were kidnapping, magpie parents are scary! I know right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 (edited) Way to go Jann's dd! People comparing this to rescuing an "abandoned" fawn hidden in the woods or a fledgling bird hopping along the ground, this isn't such a situation. Sometimes animals can be successfully rescued and rehabilitated by humans where they would likely not survive on their own. This looks like one of those times. Edited October 11, 2019 by maize 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen A Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 I'm going to chime in and also say good job to you--and your husband especially--for supporting and helping her figure out what to do next, and getting the fawn to the center. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 One reason the cops might shoot the deer is that sometimes people think an animal is injured and hit by a car, but actually it's rabid. And rabies is not something to play around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.