06/17/2026
🦌 Welcome to the SWREC Herd, Little Buck! 🦌
Today we admitted our fourth white-tailed fawn of the 2026 season to the SWREC Wildlife Clinic. This little buck will join the three female fawns already in our care.
I wanted to share a little about the process that led to his admission because it highlights something we talk about often: sometimes the hardest part of wildlife rehabilitation is waiting.
On Monday, this fawn’s mother was struck and killed by a vehicle. The finder, Penney, contacted me for advice after noticing the fawn repeatedly returning to its deceased mother and wandering the area. Naturally, she wanted to help immediately.
However, I advised her that we needed to wait until the fawn was hungry enough to allow a safe approach. The first sign of this is usually when the fawn begins calling continuously throughout the day. This process can take several days, but it is incredibly important.
Why wait?
Chasing or pursuing a fawn before it is ready can cause it to flee the area, making rescue impossible. Even more concerning, it can lead to capture myopathy—a serious and often fatal condition caused by extreme stress. Capture myopathy occurs when an animal’s muscles begin to break down due to fear, panic, or prolonged pursuit. The resulting damage can affect the muscles, kidneys, heart, and other organs, and symptoms may not appear until hours or even days later.
Unfortunately, many people struggle with the idea of waiting while a fawn remains in the area. Their desire to help comes from a good place, but intervening too soon can actually harm the animal and reduce its chances of survival.
Penney listened carefully to every instruction. She checked in with me several times each day and patiently monitored the fawn from a distance. This morning—Wednesday—the fawn finally began calling and approached her yard. Because he was now weak and hungry enough to accept help, she was able to calmly walk up to him, safely pick him up, and transport him to SWREC.
I’m happy to report that this little buck is showing no signs of capture myopathy. He arrived hungry, tired, and weak, but eagerly drank 6 ounces of fresh goat’s milk from a bottle and is now resting comfortably.
He’s a bit smaller and weaker than our three little does, so he’ll remain in the clinic for now while he gains strength and learns the bottle routine. He’ll still get to spend short supervised visits with the girls during the day until he’s ready to join them full-time.
As a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center, we receive no state or federal funding for the animals in our care. No donation accompanied the admission of this little buck, and white-tailed fawns are among the most expensive wild babies we rehabilitate. Fawns typically remain in care for approximately four months before they are ready for release, requiring specialized nutrition, housing, medical supplies, enrichment, and daily care throughout that time.
If you would like to support this little guy’s journey back to the wild, we would greatly appreciate any contribution toward his care. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us provide the specialized care that orphaned wildlife need to survive and thrive.
A huge thank you to Penney for trusting the rehabilitation process and following my directions based on training and experience. Her patience and willingness to wait made all the difference for this little fawn. She did right by him, and because of her patience and dedication, this little buck now has a second chance.
Sometimes the best way to help wildlife is not by acting immediately—but by knowing when to wait.
❤️ SWREC Wildlife Clinic
