Fawn season brings uptick in reports of 'abandoned' deer

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Around Memorial Day weekend, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville sees an uptick in phone calls reporting what appear to be abandoned fawns.

Experts say, however, in most cases those fawns are left alone on purpose. For the first few weeks, the fawn isn't strong enough to keep up with its mother.

"Mom parks them there and will leave them there for hours and might come back and feed them she might move them or might leave them there," said Renee Schott, WRC medical director. "So you might come across a fawn in your yard and it might be perfectly healthy."

If the fawn has been left alone for multiple days, then it might be time to call the WRC for help. This week, the center had a fawn brought in after its mother was struck by a car on Highway 95 north of Stillwater. When the deer gets older, staff will move it to a larger open space facility to prepare it for release back into the wild.

If you happen to see a young fawn or other wildlife and are unsure what to do, call the WRC at (651)486-9453 for advice.