SSPCA caring for orphaned fawn after mother killed

The Scottish SPCA is caring for a young orphaned deer fawn.

Martini with wildlife assistant April Sorley. Picture: contributed

Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted on 26 May after the fawn’s mother was killed in a road accident in Aberdeen.

The fawn is now being rehabilitated at the charity’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, where she has been named Martini.

Centre manager Colin Seddon said: “We are caring for five fawns at the moment, all of which are about one to two weeks old.

“Like all fawns orphaned at such a young age, Martini and the others need a lot of one to one attention as they are still being bottle fed.

“Once they are able to self-feed we’ll take a more hands-off approach until they’re ready to be returned to their natural habitat.

“We’ll choose a carefully selected site where the fawns will be able to integrate with an existing group of roe deer.”

The Scottish SPCA is warning members of the public not to approach baby deer unless there is a welfare concern, as there clearly was in Martini’s case.

Colin added: “Fawns are left alone from a very early age as their mothers go off foraging. They are left curled up under bushes or in long grasses to keep hidden from potential predators but are often disturbed by dogs and humans.

“Our advice is to leave the fawn alone, unless showing signs of distress and calling out, and return in 24 hours as the mother will likely have moved it. If it has not been moved at this stage but is still not calling or showing any signs of distress, the mother has probably come back and fed it.

“To be sure a fawn has been abandoned it must be observed from a distance for at least 12 hours. A fawn that has been truly abandoned will get up from its hiding place and start calling for its mother.

“Anyone who comes across a deer fawn can call our animal helpline on 03000 999 999 for advice.”