MONTEREY COUNTY — SPCA Monterey County is urging residents to leave baby deer alone this spring as wildlife season leads to an increase in well-meaning but harmful “fawn-napping” incidents.
The SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center has already taken in six fawns this year that were inadvertently separated from their mothers. Two were reunited, two died and two remain in care.
“It’s a heartbreaking mistake,” said Ciera Duits-Cavanaugh, SPCA Wildlife Center supervisor. “People see a tiny fawn curled up alone in the grass and assume it’s been abandoned. In reality, that mother deer is nearby, watching and waiting for the humans to leave so she can return to her baby. By picking them up, people are unintentionally kidnapping these animals from the wild.”
Officials said mother deer often leave fawns hidden during the day to avoid predators and typically return at dawn and dusk to nurse.
The SPCA said residents should stay back, keep pets away and avoid touching the animal. A fawn is usually only in distress if it is lying on its side, walking and vocalizing for more than an hour, shows signs of injury or if a dead mother is confirmed nearby.
“Fawns are extremely sensitive to stress,” Duits-Cavanaugh said. “The fear of being handled by humans, combined with an incorrect diet even for one day, severely decreases their chance of survival. Please, call us before you act.”
Anyone who believes a fawn is in distress is asked to contact the SPCA Wildlife Center at 831-264-5427 for guidance. More information is available at SPCAmc.org.
