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Mammal

Roe Deer / Fawn

Capreolus capreolus

✓What to do NOW

  1. 1A fawn lying alone and motionless in the grass is NOT abandoned — the mother leaves it hidden for hours each day
  2. 2Observe from at least 50 metres for 4–6 hours (from home with binoculars if possible) before any intervention
  3. 3Intervene ONLY if: the fawn is visibly injured, crying continuously, or the mother is confirmed dead
  4. 4If injured on a road: report to the Traffic Police and wait for the Provincial Police or CRAS
  5. 5If you must pick it up: do not make eye contact, minimal movement, gloves, large box/crate

✗NEVER do this

  • ✗Do not pick up healthy fawns just because they seem alone — human intervention causes real maternal abandonment
  • ✗Do not touch without gloves — the human scent can cause true abandonment
  • ✗Do not give cow's milk — incompatible, causes fatal osmotic diarrhoea
  • ✗Do not transport in the car boot without a container: capture myopathy stress can kill them
  • ✗Do not attempt solo treatment — it is a wild animal, not a domesticated pet

⚠ Important note

Capture myopathy is a lethal syndrome affecting cervids (roe deer, red deer, fallow deer) when handled. Adrenaline causes massive muscle necrosis: the animal may seem calm and then die within hours or days. Minimise handling as much as possible. Always contact the Provincial Police or Carabinieri Forestali — they have the legal authority and practical expertise to intervene.

⚖ Legal protection

The roe deer may be hunted under regional culling plans. Ungulates injured on the road must be reported to the Traffic Police (Art. 189 Highway Code).

Also known as

fawnroe deerred deer calfdeer fawnbaby deer

Did you find a roe deer / fawn right now?

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