Darien Police Department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts on Friday morning pointed to this video on Instagram of Police Officer Stuart Schwengerer rescuing a fawn that had become stuck on a driveway grate:
Notice that the officer is wearing gloves. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection suggests wearing gloves if someone needs to handle a fawn — it protects the animal and protects you. For the most part, the DEEP discourages people from touching a fawn unless — as in this case — it’s obviously in distress. Here’s what one DEEP Web page says about that:
Most fawns that are found are not orphaned! Does give birth to their fawns from May – end of June. The doe will rarely be found near her fawn for the first few weeks of its life because her presence may attract predators. The fawn is able to hide from predators because it is well camouflaged and has very little odor. Often times, young fawns are found in and around yards. This is not abnormal.
During the first five days of their lives their instincts are to remain perfectly still even to the point of allowing people to come close or handle them. Fawns should never be handled unless a dead doe is found nearby or the fawn is seen calling out in distress for a period of more than 24 hours. If you touch a fawn, rub a towel in the leaves or grass and then wipe the fawn off with the towel. Then, wearing gloves, return it to the original location where it was found. If the doe is around she will come back to feed her fawn in the evening when no one is around.
The Web page also has advice on what to do if you think a fawn or deer is in distress: For one thing, call in an expert. These DEEP Web pages have additional advice on dealing with deer and animals that appear to be in distress (and, of course, you can always call Darien police):
Dealing with Distressed Wildlife
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