03/06/2024
Apparently our repeated messages still aren't hitting home for people. Maybe this will...
Last night at 10:30pm, we received a call about TWIN fawns that the finders had brought home and had been "caring for" for 3 days. THREE DAYS. They separated the twins and one person was taking care of one, and someone else taking care of the other, which in of itself is a big no-no.
They sent photos of the fawns sitting on the couch, wrapped in blankets, hanging out next to the humans. We explained the criticality of getting them into care and gave them the name of a rehabber just under an hour away to get them into that would take them last night. But they said "I need someone to pick them up, I can't take them there". We pleaded that these animals needed help asap and that what they were doing was harming these babies. They were adamant they couldn't bring them in and someone would need to pick up. We arranged for someone to drive there this morning and pickup the fawns.
They texted us this morning to tell us the fawns "aren't doing well". The transporter arrived and one baby cannot even stand. They both have bloody stool and will likely die by the end of the day. All because people think it's cute to keep a fawn. People bring them into their homes and treat them like pets for a few days and then call us when they crash. Our transporters & rehabbers are the ones who have to struggle so hard to save their lives and then watch them die in their arms. The fact the people who took them won't even drive them to someone for help after the harm they caused is the icing on the cake.
Let me say it louder for the people in the back.
STOP ABDUCTING FAWNS. THEY LIVE OUTSIDE.
You don't know what to feed this animal, how much to feed it, how often to feed it. Does it need IV fluids or does it need milk? YOU CAN PASS ILLNESSES TO THE FAWN. Having them in your house with your pets and your kids can make the animals sick. So many things can go wrong. DO NOT PICK UP A FAWN AND TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU. If you have found a fawn you think needs help, reach out to a licensed rehabber IMMEDIATELY and wait for instructions BEFORE intervening. And if it does actually need help, be prepared to get it to a rehabber immediately. Don't wait on us to find transport for you and don't take it home for selfies and a snack. If you really want to help that animal, then help that animal by getting it into someone who knows how to take care of it from the very beginning. We are sick of watching these animals die.
It's ironic that people tell us "I don't want it to die in the wild" when they usually die after being taken care of in someone's home who wasn't qualified. The "wild" isn't the problem, the people are.
It is ILLEGAL to raise wildlife in the state of Georgia without a rehab license.
Maybe if we make these posts every single day with a photo of the ones we lose, people will actually start paying attention.
~We are GWN
