In a heartbreaking display of grief and love, a baby deer was recently found lying next to its mother’s ʙᴏᴅʏ in a forest clearing. The mother deer had been ʜɪᴛ by a car and ᴅɪᴇᴅ, leaving her fawn alone and ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ. But rather than run away in ꜰᴇᴀʀ, the baby deer remained by its mother’s side, nuzzling her body and waiting for her to breathe again.
Reports of missing creatures are part of the daily routine of any animal advocate. And the volunteers at Wild Florida Rescue in the United States are more than used to what is part of their trade and write valuable stories. This time, the rescue of a baby deer broke their hearts, as the little one was reluctant to accept what had happened.
A citizen’s call alerted rescue teams to the situation: on the side of a road was a ꜰʀɪɢʜᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ deer hugging the lifeless ʙᴏᴅʏ of who is presumed to be its mother. As soon as the case was reported to them, a team from Wild Florida Rescue showed up on the scene.
As can be interpreted from what they found, the family wandered around the area when a motorist ʜɪᴛ the adult doe. This person was not sensitive enough to stop and ʟᴇғт the animal lying there.
The fawn was nuzzling its mother’s body, trying to rouse her from her slumber, and appeared unwilling to accept that she was gone. This deeply moved the rescuers, who could not help but feel indignant at the scene.
As Crystene Prokop of Wild Florida Rescue explained, this little boy was only a few days old when his mother ᴅιᴇd, so he was not separated from the body.
By the time the deer was rescued, it had appeared dehydrated, a sign enough for the volunteers to know that the little one had been on the side of the road for about 24 hours. Fortunately, help arrived because if not, the deer would have suffered the same ꜰᴀᴛᴀʟ fate as his mother.
Now, he’s under the care of the Creature Safe Place wildlife rehabilitation center workers. At this place, they have found a surrogate mother who feeds and helps him progress. Once the mammal recovers and has the energy and age to defend itself, it will return to its natural habitat, where it and all animals should be.
The sight was a powerful reminder of the deep emotional bonds between animals and the capacity for grief and love that animals can feel. While we often think of animals as primitive creatures driven by instinct and sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ, this touching display of tenderness and devotion reminds us that animals are capable of complex emotions and behaviors.
Thanks to the people who made this rescue possible, we are all happy that the animals can have a second chance. Share this by thanking these heroes for their work.