Leave that fawn alone

If you find a baby deer resting motionless in your yard or in tall grass, leave it alone.

The Fairfax County Animal Protection Police and wildlife management specialist get lots of calls every spring from people who think white-tailed deer fawns have been orphaned or abandoned by their mothers. In most cases, these fawns are healthy and don’t need human intervention.

Female deer typically leave their fawns bedded down for extended periods of time while they are away foraging to avoid leading predators to their young. The mother may be out of sight but is likely nearby. Does will return several times each day to move and or feed their young.

These visits are usually undetected by people because the mother deer only stays to feed the fawn for just a few minutes before leaving it alone again.

If the mother deer sees humans around her fawn she might not return. Do not feed or disturb it and keep and keep children and pets away to allow the doe to return and care for her fawn.

The rehabilitation of deer fawns in Fairfax County is prohibited. Additionally, deer fawns originating from Fairfax County may not be rehabilitated in any other locality. These restrictions, which are administered and enforced by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, are implemented to reduce potential transmission and spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.

Chronic Wasting Disease is fatal and there is no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment for infected animals.

The disease was confirmed in a white-tailed tail deer killed in Fairfax County during the 2022-23 hunting season. As a result, Fairfax County was added to a CWD Disease Management Area, which includes regulatory actions to limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease within the county and to new areas. 

Given that fawns can no longer be rehabilitated in Fairfax County, it is especially important to make every effort possible to leave healthy fawns where they are found to have the best chance of survival.

Raising a wild animal in captivity is illegal in Virginia unless you have a wildlife rehabilitation permit issued by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

You should only seek help for a fawn if it is showing obvious signs of injury or distress, such as wandering and crying incessantly, has swollen eyes, shows visible signs of trauma such as open wounds or broken bones, or if there is a dead lactating doe nearby.

If an animal is displaying signs that indicate it is sick, injured, or truly orphaned, contact the Animal Protection Police, through the Fairfax County Police non-emergency line at 703-691-2131.