Redmond police rescue fawn stuck in fence

Last Friday, Redmond police officers responded to a report of a fawn caught in a fence off Highway 97. They helped free the fawn from the fence, and she’s now being cared for at Wildside Rehabilitation.

“His mother had just gone through the five lanes of traffic. The fawn tried to follow and got caught up in the fence. He had a few lacerations on his face,”Wildside Rehabilitation’s Sandy Thompson said Thursday.

Officials at the animal rescue center said they get many calls about fawns this time of year.

“Their nature for the first few weeks of their life is to pretend they’re invisible or play possum. They believe that if they stay still, it will keep them safe from predators,” said Tracy Leonhardy.

That makes it easy for people to want to pick up the fawn, but Wildside warns against it.

The rehabilitators say it’s best to leave the fawn alone and wait for its mother to come back. If the mother doesn’t return after a day, they say to call a rescue facility like Wildside.

It’s crucial to return fawns to their mother within the first 48 hours. Otherwise, the mother will not take the fawn back.

Fawns have the best rate of survival when they are with their mother. For this reason, the rehabilitators will only take in injured or abandoned fawn.

The team also warns to keep pets and wildlife separate. Dogs are known to attack fawn and other wild animals. Wildside Rehab suggests keeping your dog in a fenced yard or on a leash.

The nonprofit has been helping keep Oregon’s wildlife wild for the last 10 years. The team consists of three women who work out of their home.

They say it takes a great deal of time and money to care for the animals. It costs about $1,500 to care for a fawn and $600 to a care for a raccoon, but they say all the work is worth it when they finally get to release the animal into the wild.

“To see these animals frolic and be free and take off and not even give you a look back over their shoulder. They’re happy — they are out there being deer,” Leonhardy said.

The fawn police rescued is expected to make a full recovery. He will make his way back into the wild as soon as his spots disappear, in September or October.

If you would like to find out more about Wildside or to make a donation, visit, http://www.wildsiderehab.com/