What to do if you see a fawn this summer

It’s fawning season and the province is giving you guidelines for co-habituating with urban deer, a "how-to" for fawning etiquette, if you will.

Chris Doyle with BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) said they want to remind people that if they find a fawn, it should be left alone.

“Sometimes mother deer will purposefully leave their fawns in hiding for periods of up to four hours,” Doyle said. “Every year, well-meaning people pick up ‘orphan fawns,’ believing them to be an orphan when they’re actually not, but they then become orphaned.”

Doyle said if you see a fawn, you should leave it where it is or call COS if you're concerned. But, most of all, you should never pick one up.

“It is also an offense for people to possess live wildlife,” Doyle continued.

Walking dogs around urban deer during fawning season can also pose a risk. Doyle said it’s important to be extra cautious.

“Mother deer can see pets as predators and threats to their newborns and they can become quite aggressive and attack the dog if it comes too close,” he said.

Recently, COS actually charged a Bowen Island resident for letting a dog chase a deer.

According to Bowen, fawning season should end in July when young deer will become more independent of their mothers.