NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee just changed its policy on white-tailed deer rehabilitation.
No wildlife rehabilitation center is allowed to care for deer of any age.
Unfortunately, deer are in danger in Tennessee. Chronic wasting disease is killing them. In 16 counties in West Tennessee, deer are actively spreading CWD to each other.
This time of year, deer are born. Rehabilitation facilities get dozens of calls a day about fawns. Most of the time, the fawns are not abandoned, orphaned or injured. People just get concerned when they see them alone.
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Capt. Russell Boles explained that does leave their young in yards because it seems safe.
"They're going to drop them in your yard because your yard has manicured lawns. You have your shrubs, your plants. You have your own dogs, you're there and animals see that as a safe haven," Capt. Russell Boles said.
He cautioned people to not worry too much about a newborn fawn.
"The fawn is not going to walk for one to three days. They are scentless, so they're not drawing predators in. The mother — the doe — is going to drop the fawn, and then she's going to leave the fawn alone, but she's going to be watching from a distance," Capt. Boles said.
To slow the spread of CWD, the TWRA decided to ban white-tailed deer rehabilitation.
"We know that deer move, so we can't control that, but what we can control is what humans do, so if we can stop moving animals from place to place and often when they're picked up they move long distances to rehabs and that sort of thing, so we can prevent that," said Sonia Mongold, wildlife health coordinator at the TWRA.
It's not obvious which deer have CWD. Symptoms can take 12-18 months to appear and often that's when the deer is close to dying.
"It's a slowly progressing disease and it affects the brain and central nervous system of the animal and causes cells to degenerate," Mongold said.
While the public may be concerned fawns will go hurt or alone because of this, Capt. Boles says does are good to their young. He added more than 90% of fawns taken from their mothers don't need our help.
"She's still going to be taking care of the fawn. She's just not going to be right at the fawn, so that's why it's important to leave the fawns alone. Don't kidnap the fawns," he said.
If you think you found an injured or orphaned animal, online, the TWRA walks you through what to do.
