Family seeks home for fawn

As urban sprawl continues, interactions between wildlife and humans can’t help but become more frequent. That’s the case for one Dundas family which has temporarily adopted a young creature.

It’s not a sight you see every day: a young fawn on its own here in the city. And while Bambi may look comfortable, it’s a long way from home.

“It just came out of nowhere and we looked at it and we stood and waited around for about 20 minutes and the mum wasn’t around and by this time it was about 8:30 at night. So we started to head back and the deer followed us,” said Brittany Papiez-Lopata. “We’re like, ‘well, what are we supposed to do?’ So we brought it back home.”

The family has created a heated sleeping area for bambi and has been feeding it warm goat milk round the clock. In a household already filled with animals, this latest temporary addition is getting along just fine, even playing with Skylar the dog in the yard during the day.

But Bambi’s familiarity with humans is a concern to the family. They are trying to find it a home where it can be rehabilitated. However, at this moment, they’re hitting numerous roadblocks.

“It’s a wild animal, you know? We’re taking over their homes and they have no where to go and here we are just abandoning it because no one wants to take care of it,” said Papiez-Lopata. “We’re just stuck here with it and we just want someone to take it and have the life it deserve to have.”

Animal Services is also concerned, saying Bambi needs to be rehabilitated as soon as possible.

“It doesn’t have its mother to teach it. It won’t learn how to forage and take care of itself. Wildlife rehabbers will be able to help take care of it and reintroduce it back into the wild,” said Karen Edwards, a program development officer with Animal Services.

While in less than a week this little deer has become part of the family, Papiez-Lopata wants what is best for Bambi. She says she has enjoyed every moment taking care of it.

“A once in a lifetime opportunity. I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she said.

Great news for Bambi: the natural resources ministry has picked it up from Brittany and will be transporting it to be rehabilitated. It says it can’t stress enough for people to leave wildlife alone.

The only time people should intervene is when the animal is injured, sick, or in imminent danger.