STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Leave fawns alone. That is the message a Poconos wildlife center is sharing after it said it is receiving emails from people who have taken fawns in.
“We get a lot of people who mean well, but they worry about it immediately,” said Jessica Metzgar, cervid rehabilitation specialist at Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.
Metzgar said some people are taking matters into their own hands when fawns are left on their own by their mother.
“Sometimes, they don’t call us first, and so they end up with a fawn in their house,” said Metzgar.
She said some people then bring fawns they find to the wildlife center after caring for them, but Metzgar said it is best to leave fawns on their own unbothered in the wild.
Mother deer leave fawns on their own to hide them from predators and bring them food at dawn and dusk.
“The only time they’re being handled in the wild is if they’re being taken out by a predator, so any type of human handling, they don’t know we’re helping so they immediately go into that same panic state,” said Metzgar.
Metzgar said they will sometimes scream for their mother during the day.
She said there is only one time a scream becomes concerning.
“If it’s just nonstop where you can hear them very well, it’s really loud, they’re panic crying, at that point that’s going to attract a predator which signifies that something’s probably wrong,” said Metzgar.
Otherwise, just leave them alone.
“So, you can actually see them for a good while and if they really like the spot, they may stay there a week or two weeks,” said Metzgar.
She said to call the wildlife center if you are concerned about a fawn.