A doe with two fawns was crossing the street when a big truck roared by, startling one of the young deer. It ended up separated from the mother and PROWLS president Merrilee Prior received a call about a solitary fawn at Glacier Street and Manson Avenue.
After waiting the required 24 hours, anticipating the mother would return to reclaim it (this didn’t happen), Merrilee made space for it at PROWLS.
The deer was very young, with the umbilical cord still attached; it soon fell off in Merrilee’s hand. Easily caught though still a gangly bundle to manoeuvre for transport, the fawn settled in a kennel in the orphaned and injured bird area and fed on a bottle of infant formula.
Other shelters with facilities to care for fawns were called but were all full and the only solution offered was euthanasia. PROWLS held out, hoping for a better solution for this young, healthy fawn.
Within a few days, Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society in Merville had made room for the fawn, which PROWLS truly appreciated.
The fawn made the ferry trip over to Courtenay, was met by a volunteer driver and after more bottle feeding and formula for a week, was eventually living with five other fawns that will be released together this fall.
PROWLS is still looking for land and fundraising so a facility equipped to care for mammals can be built. The organization is unable to do so now.
