A baby deer and his mama

A baby deer- fawn- is completely dependent on his/her mother for the first year of life. In the wild, baby stays close to mama until mama goes foraging for food, at which time, baby is told to stay put till mom gets back- sometimes after several hours, even all day. If something were to happen to mom, then the poor baby is helpless, without food, and vulnerable to attacks by predators. For this reason, mom leaves her baby scentless by licking or eating all bodily secretions (yes, including poo and pee!), so that baby is not easy to trace. When a fawn is found in the wild and is by itself, it does NOT necessarily mean that it is orphaned! There have been so many instances of well intentioned people who find a fawn alone and think it needs help. When Angela and Keith are called, the first thing they do is to check the story of how the fawn was found. Was it hurt, did anyone see the mom, was it crying? The survival rates for a baby without mommy are slim. And if the baby is hurt, even slimmer. So, when in doubt, wait and keep an  eye on the baby for at least 24 hours to determine if mom is truly not coming back. Of course, if the baby is hurt, call a professional for help! Here is a link to a website that has more detailed information on what to do when you come across a baby deer. This link also mentions the names of licensed deer rehabilitators, including Angela Weiss in Green Mountain. http://www.ncwildlife.org/injuredwildlife.aspx#5551119-is-the-animal-orphaned