BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — As fawn season begins, local animal officials in the Big Country are cautioning against the common occurrence of fawn-napping if you come across a lone fawn in the wild.

With fawn season starting in mid-May, many baby Whitetail deer may seem ‘abandoned’ in the wild, leading concerned residents to pick them up. Wendy Logan, from Heartstrings Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, emphasized that despite good intentions, this action can harm the animals.

“Fawns are left alone for the first couple of weeks of their life. They do not have a scent. So, they [the mother] feel it is safer to put them around humans, safe from predators,” Logan said. “A lot of the times people come across these animals, they think they’re orphaned, and they are not.”

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When fawns are left alone with no mother, it can seem like the baby deer is helpless, but that is not the case. Logan told KTAB/KRBC there are signs to look for when a fawn needs human intervention.

“First and foremost, a sign is the curling of the ears. When the ears are curled, that is a number one sign of severe dehydration in which we need to intervene,” Logan explained. “Another way to tell an orphan if an animal is orphaned is whether there is a presumed dead mother in the area or if the animal is injured, then it does need to come into our care.”

When seeing a fawn, it is best to analyze the situation to the best of your ability, while preventing human interaction as much as possible. Taylor County Game Warden James Cummings added that touching these animals can harm people as well.

“You need to watch out for this time of year is ticks, so you don’t want to get some kind of tick disease because you’ve handled a fawn or you shoot a mom off or fawn or anything like that,” Cummings said. “The main thing is just leave the fawns alone. Don’t take this mother’s child and let her raise that in nature where it’s best.”

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When encountering wildlife that may need help, it is best to call the local game warden or wildlife rehabilitation center to ensure the best possible initiative is taken.

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