A typical drive to the gym June 1 turned into a wildlife rescue for Kim Barrott.
The 34-year-old Oxford resident was heading south on Baldwin Rd. around 8 a.m. when she spotted a fawn just past Echo Lane.
‘She was curled up in the middle of the road like a sleeping dog,? Barrott said.
Barrott and another driver, who only wished to be identified as Randy, pulled over to check on the young deer.
Seeing it was still alive, Barrott said, ‘We picked her up and put her in the back of my car.?
‘You can’t leave an animal curled up alive in the middle of the road,? she said. ‘She would have been hit with as fast as people drive on Baldwin.?
Barrott and Randy laid the fawn, who was loudly calling for its mother, in a weeded area a safe distance from the road.
Through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Barrott got in touch with local wildlife rehabilitator Holly Hadac, who also lives in Oxford.
Hadac told her that sometimes fawns try to follow their mothers, but get too tired, so they just stop and lay down wherever they are.
She directed Barrott to go back to the scene and check on the fawn’s health by doing things like pinching its skin and putting her fingers inside its mouth to see if it was dehydrated, which it was not.
No food or water was given to the fawn because it was probably still nursing.
The wildlife rehabilitator later came out to check on the fawn herself and make sure it hadn’t been orphaned.
‘She didn’t think so because it looked pretty healthy and it had a pretty good call,? Barrott said. ‘Hopefully, it would call its mom.?
Barrott went back to the scene two or three times to check on it.
‘I was consumed,? she said.
When Barrott returned to the scene June 3, the fawn was gone. Hopefully, the baby deer was reunited with its mother.
Unfortunately, Barrott’s received a lot of criticism for her good deed from people who don’t have all the facts when it comes to wild animals.
Barrott was told by several people that because she handled the fawn, the mother will reject it.
‘I was second-guessing myself because certain people were telling me ‘you shouldn’t have touched her,?? she said. ‘I was freaking out that the mom might not come back.?
According to Hadac, that’s absolutely not true. ‘It’s an old wives tale that a wildlife mother won’t take her baby back if people have touched it,? she wrote in an e-mail to Barrott. ‘Would you take your baby back if a deer licked it? Of course!?
‘Some babies don’t have a scent, such as rabbits and fawns, so mom doesn’t stay with them,? Hadac explained. ‘She doesn’t want her scent to attract a predator. She feeds just two or three times a day then leaves. So most of the time these babies are seen alone. If a human touches it, mom will lick off the scent.?
Hadac advises people to ‘please call for advice before removing any wild animal that you think might be orphaned, unless of course it is in danger.?
Barrott said Hadac told her moving the fawn off the road was ‘common sense? and ‘the right thing to do? in this case.
‘Obviously, getting hit by a car would have been a way worse death,? Barrott said. ‘Cars are not a part of the circle of life.?