A newborn fawn, apparently abandoned by its mother at Iola’s Riverside Park, is recovering nicely and soon will be sent to a deer rescue facility in Udall.
The animal was spotted Wednesday morning this week by a local animal lover who asked not to be identified.
“I was out walking my dog, and we saw it lying there by the scoreboard,” the do-gooder said. “I wasn’t sure what to do, so I contacted the folks who ran the park. They didn’t know, either.”
The fawn, estimated at 2 to 3 days old at the time, still had its umbilical cord.
The Good Samaritan did a brief search of facilities who could take in the animal and found Jessie Thummel, a certified wildlife rehabber at Chanute Animal Medical Center.
There were tell-tales signs the animal had been abandoned, namely that his ears were beginning to curl in, and his eyes had developed a greenish hue.
“Those are signs of dehydration, and that he’s not getting enough enzymes,” Thummel explained.
“It’s not uncommon for the mother to leave their babies for a time and then come back for them,” she said. “But there was too much activity (at the park). She wasn’t coming back for him.”
Other than the slight case of malnutrition, the fawn was in good shape, aside from a slight breathing issue that arose after about a day.
“That’s not uncommon when we’re refeeding them, because they’re used to eating from mom.”
An evening in an oxygen chamber was just the elixir.
Because the Chanute clinic is not licensed to hold deer, Thummel is keeping the animal long enough for it to be stabilized before it’s sent to Udall.
“I didn’t even know there was a place around here to take animals like that,” the Good Samaritan said. “The deer’s gonna be fine.”
