Finding a Fawn in the garden

Going out into the garden and finding that a deer has eaten all of the new growth or perhaps the flower buds off of your roses.

It is a massive disappointment to find deer destruction and I understand why gardeners, who have spent a lifetime creating their gardens, go to great lengths to keep deer out.

But when you find a baby Fawn seemingly lost on your land, it is hard not to feel a paternal pang and the mere thought that such a cute animal can do so much damage goes out of your mind.

This little fella was wandering on our track calling out for it's Mum. It took sanctuary in some long vegetation as I approached and really was a sitting duck for a dog or fox and of course car if it had wandered another twenty yards down the track.

The temptation was to wrap the fawn up in my sweatshirt and take it back home but the reality was, the Mother was probably lurking in the vicinity and had not abandoned her baby at all.

I have learned my lesson the hard way after finding a fawn when I worked on Lower Roundhurst Farm.
With good intention, I reported my finding to the family I worked for and we took the Fawn back to the farm and tried to care for it in one of the stables.

Needles to say, it died after twenty four hours and now, to my cost, I have learned that the fawn was being urged by it's Mother to be independent.

We monitored the situation right up until dusk and never saw the Mother at all and the Fawn was gone from it's hidey hole the following morning - It's fate I do not know so I will look carefully for a glimps in the long grass over the coming days.

The British Deer Society have some useful tips on seemingly abandoned fawns