A special message from South Hills Animal Control. The attached photo was taken by a Bridgeville resident:
Well folks it is getting to be that time of year again, baby deer days!
Starting in early May through about mid June the doe deer will be giving
birth to their fawns. Females can give birth up to three fawns and usually
they give no thought as to where they preform this task. So as usual Animal Control will be on hand to help move newly born fawns to little better locations. We will NOT REMOVE fawns from the immediate area. These animals are protected by state game law.
Animal Control would like to remind residents if they are seeing deer on a regular basis in their yards to keep alert for the young being born in or around where the family dog may be out and about to do their business.
Due to coyote activity in every community in the south hills the female deer will treat your pet as a coyote threatening their young and the doe will go after your dog. So, before leaving furball out in the morning, check the area first or stay with your
pet while they do their business.
Remember, when the fawns are first born their only protection is they have no scent and they use their white dotted coats as camouflage to protect themselves from predators such as coyotes. Fawns for the first few days will lay all day in the same spot, until their mothers return in the evening hours to nurse them. If a fawn is found leave it alone, mommy is not far away and she can be a handful.
Residents that may have question can contact Animal Control through county dispatch on the non emergency number 412 279 6911 or the Pennsylvania Game Commission at
division headquarters at 724 238 9523.
Thank You
Roy Hayward, ACO
4 comments:
Yes this is important to note if you have dogs. If the doe births her fawn in your backyard and your dog comes out to do his/her business the doe can become aggressive. There have been many incidents of dogs being maimed or killed in their own backyards.
I'm not starting an argument about killing the deer, just a PSA.
Roy is a true character. I love how he blames coyotes for Doe aggression. We should blame coyotes for everything.
That is one very beautiful fawn.
First, I don't buy 12:15 pm's, "I'm not starting an argument about killing the deer, just a PSA" BS. While I can't be sure, I think I recognize the finger prints on this post as one of Mt. Lebo's main sociopath deer haters. She thinks she so smart and tricky by making these demonizing deer posts, and then pretends it's only a PSA. I've watched her do this so many times in the past on this blog. These kinds of incidents are fairly rare, and are easily preventable by supervising your dog and keeping him on a lease during this brief fawning period. Below are a few statements from wildlife experts.
WILDLIFE EXPERTS ON DEER ATTACKS
Larry Hawkins, a legislative and public affairs officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said, "nationwide, deer attacks are rare"
Wildlife Conservation Officer Kenneth Packard said, "Deer almost always flee from people, and deer attacks against people are extremely rare."
Anne Bull, a spokeswoman for New Brunswick's Department of Natural Resources, said "attacks by deer are extremely rare."
Howard Burt, the region's Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Biologist said "[deer] attacks are extremely rare unless a deer perceives they are being threatened or defending a fawn."
Even these rare events can be minimized through appropriate resident education. As part of such an education program on wildlife, residents can be informed of ways to peacefully and safely coexist with deer and other wildlife.
Contrast these expert statements with 350,000 dog bite victims requiring emergency room attention yearly, with 30-35 fatalities in each of the past several years, and you have some perspective.
I can speak from my wildlife education and experience with being around deer my entire life. All the deer I've come to know and have had encounters with have been gentle and timid animals. I've often had doe bring their new born fawns right up to me to introduce them to me. Not once over all these years have I seen any aggressive behavior. That said, if you let your dog off lease and the dog chases or attacks a doe with her fawn, she will defend her fawn. Wolf and coyote are the main fawn predators, and so this defense of her baby can only be expected and IMO admired. Deer are loving and protective mom's, and have strong family values. That's why resident education is important. So during the first few weeks of fawning season residents should take extra steps to keep their dogs on a lease, so that they don't chase, attack, or threaten new born fawns.
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