🟢 wildlife

🟢 wildlife

[image description: a photo of two fawns in a forest dense with undergrowth. one faces left while its twin turns to face the camera with an alert expression.]

photo by ben chapman on unsplash

🟢 wildlife

   piebald deer have the genetic mutation called “leucism” meaning they lose some of or most of their pigments! they aren’t albino as albino animals don’t have any pigmentation and red eyes due to it. leucistic animals usually have the same eye color(s) of the rest of their species so that’s a good way to tell a leucistic animal with lots of pigmentation loss from an albino animal.

leucistic animals are usually as healthy as other non-leucistic animals, but sometimes can be born with deformities. some live perfectly healthy lives and some don’t make it past birth. a majority of the time though they might just be more sensitive to light and look super pretty <3

piebald deer appreciation post

RATING: 🔴 dangerous and ⚪semi-unsure

   this person’s dog retrieves and grabs a live fawn that’s clearly in distress (bleating, fur ruffled/standing up, ears back) and likely wasn’t watching the dog close enough. the dog could have killed the fawn or seriously injured it and the fawn could die from all that stress alone. the person does ask the dog to “give” and the dog lets go so that’s good, but the owner doesn’t appear to give any corrections. then again, the dog would be confused with a correction for bringing something back so maybe that’s strictly because of training? grabbing the fawn by the neck is also dangerous and could crush its windpipe, yet the person then moves to the fawn’s belly which is sort of better. he still shouldn’t be grabbing the fawn and holding it like that while it’s in distress, but it’s a weird situation and the person sounds distressed, so from what i can tell he didn’t know the dog was bringing it back and wants to get the fawn away to put it back. recording this interaction is semi suspicious and doesn’t put full focus on the fawn’s safety, he should have 2 hands free to hold it securely if he’s going to be picking it up to get it away from the dog (which is really the only way to get the fawn away in this case). HOWEVER

i am unsure because this could have been (hypothetically):

A. a hunting retrieval dog that got distracted from what it was sent to get and came back with the fawn, and the person had no idea the dog would stumble across it (a fawn this age in daytime looks like it was bedded down (left in one spot and hidden for the day) by its mother, which is normal deer behavior). in this situation the person grabs the fawn to get it away from the dog, and stops recording, hopefully to put the fawn back/ let it down/ put the dog away. this would be the best of 3 but is still dangerous for the fawn, though in this type of situation would be the best thing for the person to do.

B. this person knew their dog was going after the fawn and gave no corrections, didn’t put the dog on a leash, or call it back and let the dog grab the fawn. he also says “good boy” which is suspicious, praising the behavior. perhaps because the dog DID bring back the animal but still, it being a baby and alive isn’t okay. but it could also be not to confuse the dog with a correction for completing the retrieval. again unsure of the person’s intentions without context. the dog also might need better training or it was a mistake, either way, the person then took the fawn from the dog (good) but could have wanted to hold the deer and handle it when there’s no need and it puts the fawn’s life in danger.

C. the person didn’t know the dog was going for the fawn but then decided it was ‘cool’ for the dog to bring it back and wanted to handle the fawn. dangerous and not good. again, hypotheticals and trying to read the situation from all viewpoints.

i don’t know what’s actually happening here in full context, but regarding the safety of the fawn, i don’t know what happened after and can only hope it was released shortly after and it got back with its mom okay. overall this is not a good situation for it and the fawn is clearly in great distress, the dog could have seriously hurt or killed it, and i don’t know what the person did with the deer after. the person does sound worried in this video though and the “good boy” could be strictly for bringing back the animal. no hate to the person filming because it’s a weird situation and it sounds like he’s distressed trying to take action what’s happening in the moment? which is understandable. filming is a little suspicious and he should have both hands free to hold the fawn securely but he sounds genuinely worried and stops recording. so from what i can tell it was hopefully option A. but it’s still dangerous for the deer.

RATING: 🟢 ok / wildlife

   the deer here has its tail raised high (tail flagging), which is a signal that there’s danger or a threat nearby. tail flagging also helps deer keep sight of each other in dense brush. this a doe who likely has a fawn nearby and is trying to chase off this fox who found or could find the fawn. or she’s provoked and doesn’t want the fox near her. either way, this is a normal interaction between wildlife and the person filming is leaving them both alone <3 makes for a very funny video LMAO

Deer chasing a fox..

🟢 wildlife

Black fallow deer seen in the Barycz Valley - Landscape Park in Poland.

(via)

🦌ABOUT ME🦌

   🌲 north, he/they, 20    🌲 have been researching zoology and animal behavior since i was 5, it’s always been an interest of mine- i am not an expert but i have put in probably over a thousand hours of research and more and am always educating myself.    🌲 working towards pursuing a degree in zoology/ animal behavior/ marine biology    🌲 ATTENTION i have physical and psychiatric disabilities, cptsd and my blood disorder being the big 2 so please be patient with me. confrontation is also a trigger for me. i promise i am never going to be mean or rude when assessing videos or anything else, i’m a pacifist lol and my main goal with this blog is education about cervids    🌲 i’m not an expert though i know a LOT about deer, so please kindly inform me if i’m incorrect or there’s more to a situation. with that i always research my submissions

🦌TIER SYSTEM🦌

   🔴 not ok/dangerous               this is dangerous for the person, animal, or deer themselves involved and NOT okay at all.

   🟡 take caution                this is bordering dangerous and is not good. could be applied to situations that can escalate, usually overall neutral. might also be given to deer that look sick or injured

   🟢okay/wild behavior                this is where the deer are okay and everything’s all good! or when deer are engaging in natural wild behavior without human influence

   ⚪unsure                not enough information is being given in the video/ i couldn’t find anything giving more info. if anyone does find anything more please let me know

🦌FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS🦌    (that i am predicting will be asked)    🍂 can i submit pictures of deer i see or anything else that’s not a video?             yes please! show me your deer pictures, art, videos, anything!    🍂 can you diagnose the problem this deer is having?             probably not, i’m not a vet. but i can try if the deer is showing obvious symptoms of something specific     🍂 can deer be befriended and kept as pets or can i feed them and have them bond with me?           PLEASE no. deer are wild animals and you should treat them the same as interacting with any other wildlife- leave them alone. don’t feed them, try to touch them, run up to them, don’t do anything. if you think a deer is having a problem call animal control or a wildlife sanctuary in your area. don’t approach deer and when observing them, do it from a distance. if a deer comes up to you, stay still and if it starts getting too close, very very slowly back away while facing it. don’t make sudden movements. they can do serious damage if stressed or provoked. not every deer will want to run away. if it’s charging you, put a backpack or tree or something between you and always keep your eyes on the deer.

   🍂 are baby deer (fawns) that are left alone abandoned and should i save them? will the mother reject the baby if it smells like a human?

         no, does leave their fawns usually hidden somewhere while does go off and forage or do normal deer things. usually from dawn to dusk the fawn is hidden. the fawn isn’t abandoned, its instincts are to stay still and not move from that spot until their mom gets back. actually orphaned fawns will show signs of distress like ruffled fur, dull eyes, dehydration, flattened ears, and being underweight. in this case call animal control or your closest wildlife sanctuary/rescue. also no, the fawn won’t be rejected by its mother if it has your scent on it. you shouldn’t touch it or pick it up, though.

🦌OTHER. PLEASE READ🦌

   🌿 if you’re homophobic, transphobic, acephobic, TERF, truscum, think “triggered” memes and the like are funny/ think endogenic systems are part of the DID, OSDD etc any other dissociative disorder spectrum, bring your pets into non pet friendly stores, fascist, against black lives matter, etc leave my blog. don’t talk to me

   🌿 i have long term and short term memory loss issues (both being part of my disabilities) so i’m sorry if i forgot something or don’t know what people are trying to communicate (just be very clear please)

   🌿 if anyone wants any more information about any of the above, please send me an ask- confirm before you assume

����ps might add to or edit this as needed🦌