The male, just a few days old, checks out healthwise, according to the Humane Society. (Click to enlarge)
[See correction below]
An ailing baby deer was found in the playground of the Shrewsbury School Creative Learning Center in Shrewsbury Wednesday morning, borough animal control officer Henry Perez tells redbankgreen.
The fawn, “just a few days old,” was lethargic and undernourished, Perez said.
The deer’s mother was nowhere to be seen, he said.
With schoolchildren looking on, Perez picked up the deer for transport to the Humane Society facility in Tinton Falls in the hope that it could be restored to health.
[UPDATE]: A veterinarian at the Human Society checked out the fawn, and finding no injuries or signs of ticks or fleas, said the animal was behaving as any deer its age might, Perez said.
“That’s what it really comes down to, that there are no ticks or fleas,” he said. “It means the mommy is cleaning him” and hasn’t abandoned him.
Perez plans to return the deer, which is well enough to stand and walk, to the nearest woodland in the hope that it will be reunited with its mother. He said he’ll check the woods daily to monitor the case.
Kids at the K-8 preschool and primary school were fascinated by the presence of the deer, with their mothers arriving to observe and take photos, Perez said.
“They were really excited,” he said. “It’s not something you see every day.”
[CORRECTION: Due to a miscommunication, the location of this incident was incorrectly reported as having occurred at the Shrewsbury Borough School.]
