I found a fawn. What do I do?
A fawn lying alone is waiting for its mother. Almost none need rescue.
Is it really orphaned?
A doe leaves her fawn alone for up to six hours at a time while she feeds. Her milk is rich enough to hold it. She won’t return while people are near, so watching from close by only keeps her away.
A fawn flattened to the ground with its eyes open is in its camouflage posture. Picked up, it will go limp or tuck its legs tight. Nothing is broken. Put it back exactly where it was and leave.
When it does need help
- Lying on its side, kicking, or crying nonstop
- Obviously injured, or covered in flies or ants
- Wandering the road for hours, or next to a dead doe
Call us first. If we tell you to contain it: a light cloth over the head calms it, and it goes in a quiet place away from pets and people. Nothing to eat; water only. Formula, cow’s milk, and pet-store milk replacers cause diarrhea and death within days.
Injured adult deer
There is no facility in the Bay Area that rehabilitates adult deer. A mobile deer with an injured leg often heals on its own; leave it be. A deer that can’t stand, with a broken back or pelvis, needs animal control to end its suffering quickly. Call your city’s animal control or, after hours, the police non-emergency line.
Why “comforting” kills deer and rabbits
Capture myopathy is a stress response in prey animals: fear alone triggers muscle breakdown that stops the heart, sometimes hours after the animal seems to recover. There is no treatment. Petting, holding, and talking to a deer or rabbit does not comfort it; it terrifies it. Dark, quiet, and hands off is the only thing that helps.
Then call us
Whatever you found, call or text (510) 421-9897 before you drive anywhere. We'll confirm what you have, tell you whether to bring it to us or somewhere closer, and make sure someone is there to meet you.
