Wildlife officers say to leave baby deer alone

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — Leave the fawns alone.

It’s a message Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Officer Chuck Casey tries to get across each spring.

“It’s human compassion to want to pick up and save wildlife. It’s the goodness in all of us,” Casey said.

Casey says this time of year, does give birth and they frequently leave their fawn alone in the wild.

“They leave sometimes for hours upon hours at a time, but mom is usually close by,” he said.

Each year, Casey says wildlife officers are flooded with calls from people who picked up a baby deer thinking it’s been orphaned.

“This weekend alone I’ve had five calls alone about baby fawns,” he said.

TWRA officer Alan Peterson says mother deer will come back for her babies, but can only do that if they’re in the spot she left them.

“If it’s close to the road and you’re worried about its safety, you can move it a little ways but as close as to where you found it as possible,” Peterson said.

Casey says sometimes people raise the animals as pets, causing more problems.

“As it gets older it’s not afraid of people, and we see a lot of individuals get hurt,” Casey said.

But leaving baby wildlife alone isn’t only a suggestion — Casey says it’s the law.

Officers say you can be cited for removing an animal from the wild.

If you do stumble across what appears to be an injured animal, you can call your local animal control office to see what you should do.