On Their Own

  

I always get a pit in my stomach whenever I see a fawn wandering around alone without its mother. A short time ago, a still spotted fawn ventured out of the woods to my backyard bird feeders. It was obvious that the little guy had been to my yard before as he walked directly to the food. What was unusual was the time of the day of his visit. Normally, deer are on the move in the hours around sunrise and sunset. To see him here alone during the early afternoon told me that he must have been very hungry.  My suspicion was confirmed as I looked over the photographs I shot of him. Although he was not emaciated, there was a distinctive concaveness between his rib cavity and his hip; a sign that he was not getting sufficient nourishment.  Unfortunately, in my attempt to get a closer photograph of him, the little guy was startled and bolted into the woods.

This is the story of nature that I don’t like to dwell upon. For every cuddly, well-cared for wildlife baby, there are many who do not survive their first year. Whether it is a genetic disorder, an injury or simply abandoned by its mother, not all baby wildlife will live long and productive lives. I guess that was why I became a wildlife rehabilitator. I wanted to give every orphan animal an opportunity to make it in their world and if it was not to be, made their last hours as comfortable as possible. That is a rather idealistic philosophy but was for me, a belief that helps me sleep at night.

I want to believe that each one of us has that philosophy within us having encountered many like-minded individuals over the years. Of course, there are some individuals who will deliberately harass or harm wildlife for laughs. To them, I say that what you do to others in life will eventually come around and treat you in the same manner.  And to those who think that humans are entitled to dominate the natural environment for their own use without regard to their impact on nonhuman species, I return to the Native American quotation - When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.

In the meantime, I will keep my bird feeders filled with food and water and hope that I will again see that little fawn.