A Texas Rescue Story

on the road to Kendalia

Yesterday, when I received an email from my niece describing her latest adventure as a volunteer for Wildlife Rescue & Rehab in Kendalia, Texas, I thought she had some good information to share. Someone had "rescued" this precious white-tailed fawn, thinking that it had been abandoned and not realizing that deer mothers typically find a safe spot for their young and often leave them for hours...sometimes as long as 12 hours! Apparently, the best action is to leave them alone or put them back where they were found. It's not true, she said, that animals touched by humans will be rejected by their parents. Oops! I think I too might have been guilty of a misguided "rescue" in the case of this sweet baby!

WRR staff feeding fawns

Transported by car in a simple cardboard box, the fawn latched on to my niece's earlobe and tried to nurse as she was carried into the clinic. So hungry! There, she'll be cared for and bottle-fed for a while, then released into a large pasture with other fawns. Eventually, when totally weaned, she'll be moved to a secure release site and set free. Pre-release, every effort will be made to minimize her interaction with humans, ensuring a good transition back into the wild. So this rescue story will have a good ending--a "wild" one. Kudos, Tricia!