Wildlife Center in Bradenton Beach asks for donations to care for fawns

MANATEE COUNTY (WWSB) - The Wildlife, Inc. Education and Rehabilitation Center in Bradenton Beach is asking for some help with donations.

It’s fawn season and right now the center is caring for eight fawns.

The center says they typically see an increase in the number of fawns needing care this time of year, but the number keeps going up, partly because of development and construction across the Suncoast that's pushing them out of their homes.

The center plans to bottle feed the fawns for a few months and then transfer them to an area in central Florida where they can roam free.

The center is also reminding people that if you encounter a fawn alone in the wild that it is likely safe and that the mother is out foraging for food.

Here is information from the Humane Society:

"People often mistakenly assume that a fawn (baby deer) found alone is orphaned. If the fawn is lying down calmly and quietly, their mother is nearby and they are OK. A doe only visits and nurses their fawn a few times a day to avoid attracting predators. Unless you know that the mother is dead, leave the fawn alone.

Although mother deer are wary of human smells, they still want their babies back. If you already handled the fawn, quickly return the fawn to the exact spot where you found them and leave the area; the mother deer will not show herself until you are gone.

If the fawn is lying on their side or wandering and crying incessantly all day, they probably need help. If this is the case, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator."