A fawn tale

QUASQUETON — The fawn is gone.

The news spread quickly through a relieved neighborhood and brought smiles to the faces of residents who had worried that the spotted juvenile would still be there — hungry, thirsty, alone and abandoned in the middle of a small Iowa town, far from the maternal care indispensable to its well being.

Cleon and Becky Ohrt, enjoying coffee on their front porch on the morning of June 10, first noticed the fawn lying next to a fire pit on the property across the street.

Before long their neighbors had gathered at a circumspect distance to see the baby deer for themselves, and the occasional wayfaring dog walker and golf cart driver from other parts of town got drawn into the drama.

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As the hot, sunny day wore on, concern for the baby’s welfare mounted, and someone called an animal rescue organization to ask if intervention might be warranted. Word came back it was not only inadvisable but also possibly illegal under state law that prohibits unlicensed people from possessing wild animals, including fawns.

Quasquetonians live close to nature with many beautiful old trees filled with singing birds and frolicking squirrels, but most of us have to leave town to see a deer. Having one in our midst brought the neighborhood together with shared concern for the welfare of a helpless and innocent creature.

By nightfall, the fawn had moved twice to avail itself of shade, ending up curled next to the front porch of the Steve and Barb Bullerman home.

Barb’s pretty sure she knows how the fawn and its mom got separated early on the morning of June 10.

Barb said she got up from her recliner in her darkened living room around 1 a.m. and the sudden movement, visible through the living room window, spooked the deer. Her doorbell camera caught glimpses of the doe’s hasty exit, she said.

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About 24 hours later, the doe apparently returned for her fawn. Barb, whose son lives across the street, said his normally quiet dog had a couple of middle-of-the-night barking episodes, perhaps coinciding with the reunion. In any event, walking tours of the neighborhood the following morning disclosed no sign of the fawn.

Everyone took that as good news, including Department of Natural Resources forest wildlife research biologist Jim Coffey, who (when apprised of the situation) said “that’s why we advise people to leave so-called abandoned fawns alone.”

The pair may have been separated by circumstances, he said, but the bond is strong. Based on the doe’s maternal instincts and the scenario as described, Coffey said “it is highly likely they’re together again.”