Chesterfield deputy aids baby deer found on busy road

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A Chesterfield County deputy helped a baby deer reunite with its mother on Thursday after finding it on a busy road.

On Thursday, May 22, career deputy Kevin Norkunas with the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office went out to Huguenot Road after receiving a call about a possibly-injured baby deer in the roadway.

When he arrived, Norkunas found the fawn on the edge of Huguenot Road. While it was not injured, it did appear lethargic.

According to authorities, before Norkunas did anything, he made multiple calls to agencies like the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), asking for advice.

As the Wildlife Center for Virginia explains, it's not typically a good idea to touch or move a baby deer. Their mothers will often leave them in safe places while they hunt, so moving their babies can cause unintentional harm. However, if the baby deer is hurt or in a dangerous situation -- such as alongside a busy roadway, like this fawn was -- careful, informed intervention can be warranted.

In this situation, Norkunas picked up the baby deer and brought it into his patrol vehicle with him.

After several minutes, Norkunas noticed the fawn was becoming more responsive.

According to authorities, Norkunas spotted what appeared to be the fawn's mother -- who had been waiting, visibly scared, some ways away due to the traffic and noise of Huguenot Road -- and he released the baby deer to her.

"The two deer went off happily ever after," the sheriff's office said. "Bucket List checked!"

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If you find yourself in a similar situation, if at all possible, you should contact either your local authorities or organizations like the Virginia DWR before doing anything. You can reach the Virginia DWR's helpline at 1-855-571-9003.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia offers these general tips:

• Make sure the fawn is actually hurt or orphaned before you interact. If the baby deer is visibly bleeding, covered in fly eggs, is crying nonstop and/or is cold and wet, or if it looks weak AND is lying on its side, it's likely hurt or orphaned and may need your help. Call your nearest wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian.
• What do I do if the fawn is unhurt, but it's somewhere unsafe? If the baby deer is somewhere dangerous -- like a busy road, in a backyard with dogs or under some other immediate threat -- you may need to intervene. You can move them to a safe place a short distance away.
• Never chase a fawn, even if you're trying to help it. The stress of a chase can seriously injure or even kill a baby deer due to a condition called capture myopathy.
• I put the fawn somewhere safe, but now it's following me! What do I do? This is typical fawn behavior. To prevent it, when you put down the baby deer, face it away from the direction you intend to leave in so it cannot watch you do so. Tap it once or twice firmly between the shoulder blades -- mimicking how a mother taps it with her nose to tell it to stay -- and then quickly leave.
• If the fawn is unhurt and somewhere safe, do nothing. It was likely left there intentionally by its mother and moving it will do far more harm than good.

For more information, visit the Wildlife Center of Virginia's website.