Experts weigh in on what you should do if you see a fawn in your area

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - It’s that time of year again.

“So fawns generally start showing up in the end of May or early June, and they’re a little later than the other baby animals calls that we get,” said Iowa Department of Natural Resources Stacey Bragg.

If you find a fawn in your area, here’s some advice.

“The best thing to do is leave it alone, leave the area, and don’t go back and recheck it. Mom will show up and come back,” said Wildlife Rehabilitator Amanda Hase.

While a fawn may look abandoned, that’s usually not the case.

“Most people think it’s abandoned because they are not seeing a parent or a doe around,” said Bragg. “The mom may be off feeding and that’s what fawns are supposed to do, supposed to lay there quietly and wait for their mom to come back, or the second reason might be because you are there, and you have scared the mom away, so you really need to leave the area. Don’t touch the fawn and the mom will come back.”

You may not be sure if you should step in and help, but the best thing you can do is call a professional.

“Try to stay out of the area the best you can. You know if things get out of hand or people don’t know how to take care of it call one of the conservation officers, we can help trouble shoot or even come check it out,” said Bragg.

There is also a big reason why they don’t want you to move fawns.

“You know we do get a lot of calls this time of year, and we aren’t allowed to rehab them in the state of Iowa right now that is a directive from the DNR it is what it is to stop the spread of disease, so the best thing for the animal is to always leave it alone,” said Hase.

“Because the absolute best thing is to keep that wild animal in the wild,” said Bragg.

For more information on fawns and other wildlife, you can visit here.

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