Hiding among plants and bushes is normal behavior for roe deer and fawns. With the onset of the wild season, many people flocked to the forest for the gifts of nature - wild garlic and ferns. Entire squads of pickers roam the burnt fields and open meadows in search of tasty and healthy vegetation. But it happens that their trophy is not wild plants... but newborns found in the same clearings.
The fact is that in May–June the young animals appear in the ungulates. Usually female roe deer give birth to two cubs, rarely one or three, and for a week the roe deer remain where they were born, hiding in the grass.
Hide among plants and bushes
Hiding among plants and bushes is normal behavior for roe deer and fawns. The mother always walks somewhere nearby, she comes, protects them, feeds them. In the meantime, they are not independent, they hide, so you never need to pick them up,” this is the unequivocal opinion of all zoologists and conservationists.
We repeat, no, he is not lost or abandoned, you just happened to see a hidden roe deer, and the mother is looking at you anxiously from behind a bush. You cannot pick up and carry away young animals from the found place, since the parents will probably not find their cubs in the future.
You cannot touch or pet the animal - the returning mother will sense your scent and her behavior towards her own child can be as unpredictable as you like.
To make it more convincing, we cite as an example an excerpt from the story of the famous researcher of the Far Eastern taiga, Viktor Korkishko, about the “rescue” of roe deer and deer calves.
“.. A newborn baby almost immediately gets on his feet and is soon able to walk. But it is very risky to accompany the mother everywhere - there are too many people who want to eat roe meat, from poachers to predators and even stray dogs. Therefore, the roe deer spends the first days of its life alone. Mom feeds him at night, and during the day she goes out to feed herself and, in case of danger, takes the enemy away from her child. This continues for several weeks until the roe deer becomes as playful as its mother and cannot keep up with her if danger threatens. Until then, he lies in the grass, hiding, not moving.
In Primorye during this period there are usually endless drizzling rains with cold fogs.
Therefore, roe deer get very cold alone and some of them die in cold years. It’s good if the mother gave birth to twins and the company is a brother or sister. But even in this case they lie “lower than grass, quieter than water.” Only when they are very hungry, towards evening, do the roe deer begin to squeak pitifully. Their mother finds them by screaming.
Danger threatens the roe deer from the most unexpected side. Often he becomes a victim of overly compassionate people who do not know the peculiarities of roe deer life. Having found a lonely roe deer, people think that its mother abandoned it, and out of compassion they take the baby, not knowing what pain they cause to the mother, who watches from the bushes as her child is taken away. And having taken the baby, people most often do not know what to do with it - feeding a roe deer is a big problem. So they are trying to place the orphans in the reliable hands of the employees.”
The story of the rescue of the wapiti
Similar “rescue” stories are repeated year after year. For example, over the past year, employees of the Udege Legend park took three roe deer and one wapiti from residents to keep in a recreational enclosure. Two roe deer were already adults, the other two cubs were nursed almost from birth. They were spared their lives, but they violated the main law of nature - they did not become wild animals. They have grown up too trusting of humans; they do not know what a predator is, what food is best and where to look for it at different times of the year.
Therefore, remember: No matter how much you want to pet, help, save, or protect a small living creature, the best thing you can do is to leave, leaving the baby in place. And only if you are absolutely sure that the mother is dead, you can take it. Hatching a newborn wild animal is a whole science, which the park staff did not comprehend on their own, but managed to do. But for those who are already faced with the need to put a weakened fawn/roe fawn back on its feet, we have written a short guide to caring for a wapiti cub in captivity.
Caring for wapiti in artificial conditions
Nursing a wapiti (red deer) in artificial conditions (personal experience of a park employee) Let me say right away that my personal experience in this area is not very great - we have (so far) raised only one. But at the very beginning we faced a huge problem - we could not find information anywhere that would help us out. Actually, that’s why I came up with the idea of writing a short guide for those who will also have to enter “how to feed a baby wapiti” into search engines.
First you need to determine the age of the animal
Our Yashik came to us second-hand, so only a veterinarian could reliably determine his age - 6-7 days. So, what does a wapiti cub look like at a week old:
Height at withers: 64 cm
He still doesn’t stand very well on his legs; they are slightly bent like an X. He often “cries”.
Teeth: there are no back teeth (so to speak) yet, 8 front teeth (now Yasha is already 2 months old, but the front ones are gone), all of them are from below. 2 in the center are very large and funny: o) the rest are quite small.
Weight: 10-12 kg (but this is taking into account that he was not fed correctly throughout his first week)
Understand who is in front of you
By the way, it would be useful to understand who is in front of you - a wapiti or a spotted deer. They are often confused. The red deer is larger (versus our 65 at the withers - 45-50 for a sika deer, weight about 4-6 kg). The head is large, the ears are elongated. I would compare them with the length of the nose from the tip to the eyes. The fawn has a neat face with VERY large round ears. Now regarding the coloring. It should be noted that everyone has spots. In deer they are located along the ridge and will go away after the first molt in October, while in sika fawns they are located throughout the body and will remain for life.
In red deer, the spot under the tail is yellow and small, dimly outlined. On the contrary, the fawn’s body is white, wider and strikingly different in color from the general background.
And now the most important thing - about feeding. Or it would be more correct to say feeding.
Golden rule: do not overfeed.
We gave cow's milk (necessarily boiled!) with the addition of water and baby formula "Baby 1" (one - that is, from birth).
Proportions: 1 liter of milk, 8 scoops of mixture, 0.5 liters of water. For the first 2 weeks you need to feed 8-10 times a day, 100 grams of the resulting mixture. It is better to use a bottle with a simple (not the most expensive) elongated nipple. By the way, the wapiti did not recognize the Aventa teat, so respected by its mothers, due to the structure of its jaws. Of course, it is better to warm it up to 36-38 degrees. You can check the temperature in the same way as for children - with a drop on the bend of your elbow.
After the second week, you need to give about 150 ml of water during the day, between feedings. Once a day we gave it lightly salted (1 level teaspoon per liter of boiled water). We now feed 8 times a day, 250 ml. 
At the age of three weeks, the wapiti was given a five-day course of the probiotic Vetom-2 (I won’t say why exactly “2”, but that’s what we were told at the veterinary clinic). Dilute one sachet in 200 ml of water, divide in half and give twice a day an hour after feeding (you will need 5 sachets)
Month.
At this age, you can switch from a baby bottle to a cow bottle (for feeding calves - sold in veterinary stores). No, of course, you can continue to drink from the small one, but it will be tiring - you need to fill it several times for one meal or have 4 at once. At the same time, we started feeding Yashechka with the whole milk substitute Kormilak.
Its cost in the Primorsky Territory ranges from 1900 to 2400 per 25-kilogram bag. This amount is enough for approximately 2 months. The first days we add feeder to cow's milk, but discard the baby formula (i.e., it turns out 1 liter of milk + 0.75 ml of water + 100 grams of feeder), then (well, let's say, on the fifth day) we give pure feeder, i.e. . at the rate of 1:9, as written on the package. I weighed a plastic container on a culinary scale and it contained 200 grams, i.e. almost 2 liters of water. At the age of one to two months, his daily intake increased from 2.5 to 4 liters of formula per day, and the frequency of feeding decreased from 6 to 4 times.
- Grass. I wondered for a long time when to start feeding grass. But everything turned out to be simpler - Jasicek himself reached for the raspberries. And off we go. Most of all he liked dandelions, grapes, and raspberries. Then come beets, ash leaves, and currants. And he also loves berries terribly: o) Honeysuckle, strawberries, currants, raspberries, serviceberry - everything goes with a bang. At the same time, he directly spits out the apples. You can give pureed vegetables as a substitute for grass.
- Feces. Normally it’s like a goat’s – in balls. Our pet initially had diarrhea. Wrong food - diarrhea, didn't boil the bottle - diarrhea, overfed - diarrhea again. What to do. Give less food and carefully monitor the sterility of utensils.
- On the second day of life, a veterinarian diagnosed dehydration at my home - Yashka refused to eat, he could barely stand on his feet. He was given an IV in the neck (under no circumstances should this be done without a specialist!) with saline through a butterfly 4, 200 ml + half a bottle of glucose. He almost immediately got to his feet, but it was impossible to feed him; he could be given saline in the evening and replace one meal with it the next day. In general, having a doctor in the family, on the second day we were ready to repeat the IV on our own, but, fortunately, it was not necessary. For prevention purposes, see above, drink salted water daily.
- Arrangement of the place. Here, of course, the more the better. Yasha had to live in an open chicken pen, 3x8. The size, frankly speaking, is not large. The height of the grid is 3.5 meters. It is necessary to make a small canopy, 1.1-1.2 m high, with a roof and without one wall - so that it can go freely, cover the floor with hay, which needs to be changed regularly (because they defecate, most often, on themselves).
- General recommendations. The life of these small, defenseless creatures is in your hands. Therefore, it is important to decide what will happen to them when they are ready to exist on their own: do you intend to give it to a zoo/animal park/safari park or do you plan to release it into the wild. The permissible frequency of contact with the animal depends on this. If he is destined for the fate of a wild animal, then do not allow strangers to approach him, i.e. he should only know those 1-2 people who care about him. But we must remember that even with this option, he vitally needs, no matter how pretentious it may sound, closeness and warmth, a sense of security - when you feed him, do not be lazy to pet him and talk - soon he will begin to recognize your voice. If you are not going to release him into the wild, then you need to hug him as often as possible for the first 3-4 weeks - you will see for yourself how this calms him down.
The Bishnoi community from the Indian state of Rajasthan have been worshiping nature and animals for hundreds of years. They believe that deer are sacred animals, so Bishnoi women nurse orphaned deer fawns in the same way as their own babies.
Local residents told reporters that they do not differentiate between babies and fawns, and that this helps them communicate with the animal world.
This woman in the photo is simultaneously breastfeeding her baby and a small fawn. For outsiders, such a sight will be a shock, but for the Bishnoi tribe it is commonplace.
This fawn is like my own baby,” says 45-year-old Mangi Devi. “Taking care of fawns is my life.” I feed them milk and take good care of them as members of my family until they grow up. When we are there, they are no longer orphans, since we give them the same maternal care.
There are about two thousand houses in the Bishnoi village. They revere the 15th century guru Sri Jambeshwar Bhagwan and carefully follow his 29 instructions. According to these rules, the Bishnoi tribe protects and preserves the nature around them; these people do not cut down trees and do not eat meat. They are also not afraid of animals and their children play near wild animals of different species without fear.
Among the guru's instructions there is also a ban on wearing blue clothes, since the blue dye is made from bushes, a recommendation to wash daily and pray twice a day, bans on theft, smoking tobacco, hashish and other cannabis derivatives, a ban on alcohol, recommendations not to judge anyone and do not criticize, be able to forgive with your heart and be merciful.
The Bishnois are also sworn enemies of local poachers as they do anything, even risking their lives, to protect the animals.
21-year-old student Roshini tells how he spent his entire childhood playing with deer. He calls them his sisters and brothers and says that it is their responsibility to take care of the fawns and make sure they grow up healthy.
24-year-old Ram Jeevan says that their community sees no fundamental difference between people and animals and for them they are more like members of a big family.
We take care of them and keep them in our homes to prevent more dangerous animals such as wild dogs from attacking them. If they are injured, we treat them and protect them as if they were our children.
Ram Jeevan says their community has been living this way for more than 550 years and they strive to protect animals from attacks and even from the summer heat, especially taking care of babies. All Bishnois are very proud of the way they live.
The most important thing in reindeer farming is feeding. I have already written more than once that the red deer is less picky about the variety of food than a cow, but is very demanding in terms of quality and quantity.
The biggest mistake I have seen other farmers make is dividing into small paddocks. In a small space, animals, according to them, are better controlled and moved from pen to pen, but here we are faced with another problem - a trampled field. On the project in Smolenskaya, my boss had a mathematical mindset, and as best he could (or could have done well) drilled into me his view of things. I decided to digitize the deer, translate their vital activity into numbers; this was useful for me and was familiar to the management.
Here's what I got: In the large paddock, the grass went away much more slowly than in the small one. Net proportion - X sq. m of area for 1 deer for 1 day, it was not possible to breed. For 7.5 hectares it was 17.4, and for 2 hectares it was all 25. All because deer trampled part of the field. After all, there is a concept - the living and total area of the apartment; for a small paddock, the percentage of area for bedding and trails was noticeably higher. And hence the lack of feed and poor condition for the breeding period. If we don’t feed, then our animals will approach the autumn mating thin and emaciated, and this is a disadvantage in terms of reproduction, but if we feed, then we end up with another problem. Deer are wild animals and will eat as long as there is food, especially something as tasty as compound feed. If you calculate the dose incorrectly, the females will arrive at mating with obesity, and this is also a matter of minutes before reproduction. Therefore, every reindeer herder should strive to keep his livestock on natural feeding for as long as possible; this is physiologically correct and economically feasible. The area of feeding pens must be calculated taking into account the amount and value of grass cover, amount of precipitation, soil structure, geography, and many other factors. Based on conversations with other reindeer herders, I came to the conclusion that for a normal meadow in the Middle Zone, the paddocks should be 6-8 hectares. No more, no less. Have 4 small pens of 1.5-2 hectares each for various zootechnical purposes.
That is why every respectable reindeer herder must determine externally, I would even say from afar, the condition of his animals and correct it in time so that by September it is in perfect condition, otherwise we will lose the calves.
I’m giving you a sign from the site, maybe someone will find it useful. Notice how thin the line is between Good and Very Good Condition.
So, autumn came, we managed it and the second stage of feeding began.
We need to deceive the deer, they, like any females, including the human race, will never become pregnant if they do not have a guarantee of a good apartment and the ability to feed the baby deer. We need to deceive the females, to make them think that everything will be fine. Avoid overcrowding and heavy feeding. In the fall, the grass is no longer the same, so we add silage/haylage and grain to the diet. Here you don’t have to worry too much about overfeeding - you won’t get particularly fat in the fall, especially with the kind of physical exertion that the male experiences (I won’t show the porn video a second time), but still don’t overdo it. After all, deer is a herbivore and an excessive amount of concentrated food causes acidosis and death of the animal. The normal dose is considered to be 1-1.5 kg per adult deer and 0.5-0.75 kg per calf, depending on the quality of the feed and the ambient temperature.
We set up a family of deer (20-25 females per male) on an area of 2 hectares, so small paddocks came in handy. For industrial breeding, where the accuracy of whose calves and from whom is no longer important, then on 8 hectares we put one hundred females and 4-5 males, naturally without horns.
Rokkol 07-11-2006 06:55
Two deer from the city park hang out at night and even sleep right next to the entrance and garage. They are almost not afraid, they allow you to approach within 10 meters or less. By nightfall I give them a piece of salted bread and a couple of apples. They eat it. I tried to give potatoes, carrots, cabbage - they ignored it and didn’t eat it. What else should I give them? What do they like? There is no snow yet and they have enough green grass for now.
Chuck13 07-11-2006 07:07
Sierra SPBT, Game King. These are bullets.
But if you’re serious, don’t, it’s better to drive them away, for their own good.
“We are responsible for those we have tamed...” /c/
Rokkol 07-11-2006 18:52
Yes, I have a caliber for deer too. But I'm not a hunter. So, I'm a shooting enthusiast.
You are absolutely right about domestication. I agree. And it is not because of me that the “beautiful” deer graze near my house. A couple of oak trees grow near the house. And this year there is an incredible harvest of acorns and everything is strewn with them. So they come to eat and at the same time sleep next to them. I wouldn’t pay attention to them. But there were a lot of deer in my area of the city and the authorities sold off a number of permits to hunters to shoot them with bows and crossbows. They'll kill them in the park! So I want to hold them longer. Yes, they are full. Today, apart from bread and one apple, nothing else was touched. And during the day they still go to the park to sleep. If only I could write on their side that “I am not a deer. I am a cow” and they would definitely not be touched...
YANKEE 11-11-2006 04:01
Ignore them, for their own good.
Let them eat the acorns, but don’t pamper them with human food.
Rokkol 15-11-2006 20:22
It's all over and there is no longer a problem - what to feed the deer. They shot them one by one... First the female, and on the second day the horned one. And I saw the “hunter”. He sat under a bush at the edge of the clearing and “with his antlers” knocked on the deer in his hand, beckoning. He made signs for me to go quietly and not interfere. It's a pity for the beautiful deer, but such is our vile life.
And the hunters are not to blame. These are people who are sick with their Huntingphilia. They don’t need meat, but the process itself. What to take from them! We should feel sorry for them too. Lonely orderlies-predators in the forest and in the city.
YANKEE 16-11-2006 05:13
What, you can hunt near your home?
In Connecticut, if memory serves, 500 yards away, that is, practically nowhere in the places where I live.
Hunting is hunting, the most ancient instinct, and there are too many deer. The other day I was driving to New York, and during an hour and a half journey I saw eight shot down deer.
When there are a lot of them, they start to get sick, lime desiz from the ban on hunting and off we go.
Rokkol 16-11-2006 05:37
There is a half-abandoned railway running parallel to my street. Behind it is a stream and again a street. Between the stream and the railway there is a paved road for bicycles, dogs and pedestrians. And everything was overgrown with bushes, grass, trees. That's where they lived. A family with young fawns. Well, all of them from the bow.
Yes, in principle everything is correct. This year they were allowed to shoot them in the city with bows. It’s just human nature (mine) to be greedy and protest... They were beautiful. They ate apples from the apple tree on the side of the road together. They are on one side, and I am on the other. When I left, I shook the apple tree with it. It's just humanly pathetic.
No problem, new ones will be built next year. The place will not be empty.
Deer. Deer do not abandon their offspring. They often hide their young, so if you happen to encounter a fawn in the field, do not try to help it until you are sure that its mother has died. If this is your first time adopting a fawn, it will be helpful to consider the following initial guidelines. If your yard is not fenced, install a fence with a perimeter of approximately 15 m. This area will be quite enough for a child. It is better to use metal poles, which are easy to install and dismantle, and use metal mesh for fencing.
It is advisable that there are trees and shrubs inside the fenced space. As the fawn grows, it will gradually be able to reach the lower branches and will soon begin to feast on green leaves.
The dwelling can be built from plywood, fencing it on three sides. Another sheet of plywood should be placed on the roof and covered with roofing felt on top to prevent water from penetrating. The matter remains behind the small front door - and here you have a ready-made pen for the fawn. There should always be fresh water and a small piece of salt lick in the pen.
Feeding a fawn is not difficult. Basically, this is any type of milk with the addition of milk substitutes and various nutritional mixtures. It is best to feed using a half-liter bottle. The pre-prepared nutritional mixture is stored in the refrigerator, and before use it must be placed in hot water to warm up. At first, you need to strictly adhere to the daily five feedings, then gradually reduce their number as the fawn begins to nibble on grass and leaves, and also discovers an interest in the grain food offered. By this time, the nutritional mixture can be given in a feeder, pouring it on top of a slice of wheat bread. The fawn will start by sucking the milk mixture from the bread and will then get used to eating any food this way.
The best protection against the accumulation of flies is bamboo curtains, which darken a certain place where deer hide from annoying insects. You can lubricate the animal with a special protective solution, but you must first consult a specialist. Fawns are incredibly attached to people and will follow you around like dogs. They love delicacies - carrots, apples, ground nuts, marshmallow root. The further fate of the animal will be good if it is raised in the area where it was picked up and where its relatives are found. Then by the time of release the deer will be sufficiently acclimatized. If there are others in the area deer, he will definitely find them. Sometimes young deer experience diarrhea - a consequence of poor diet. "¦Do not try to treat animals yourself with home-grown remedies, do not give medicines at random. It is better to contact a veterinarian, he will prescribe the necessary remedy.
Hickman M., Guy M. Caring for wild birds and fur-bearing animals. - M.: Lesn. industry - 87 p.
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