Staffordshire County Council is urging visitors to country parks not to feed deer to disturb their young, as deer fawning season gets under way.
Most species of deer give birth between May and July. During this sensitive period, members of the public may come across newborn or young deer lying quietly in the undergrowth.
While this may cause concern, rangers stress that this is completely normal behaviour, as mothers deliberately leave their fawns hidden while they go off to feed.
Visitors are strongly urged not to approach, touch, feed, or move baby deer. Even well-meaning human contact can have serious consequences because a person’s scent may deter the mother from returning to care for her young.
The county council is also reminding visitors to keep dogs on leads and under full control. On Open Access land in England and Wales, dogs must be kept on a short lead (maximum 2 metres) between 1 March and 31 July to protect vulnerable wildlife during breeding season.
Rangers have reported a rise in incidents of deer being fed by hand or from vehicles. While this may seem harmless, it can cause deer to become unnaturally dependent on human food, leading to increased aggression and nuisance behaviour in residential areas.
In recent months, rangers have been called to incidents where deer have become trapped in fencing and football nets after entering residential spaces in search of food.
When deer begin to associate cars with feeding, they can lose their natural fear of traffic, increasing the risk of collisions on busy roads. Rangers respond to an average of 150 deer-vehicle collisions in Cannock Chase alone every year.
Feeding deer inappropriate foods increases the risk of spreading diseases and it can seriously harm their health, disrupting their digestive systems and causing illness, dehydration or, in severe cases, death.
Hayley Coles, Staffordshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, said:
“I completely understand that seeing a baby deer on its own can feel worrying but, in most cases, there is no need to intervene.
“Deer mothers are very careful and will leave their fawns hidden in long grass or undergrowth while they go off to feed. Please be assured that they’re not abandoned, they’re just being kept safe. If people stay away, keep dogs under control, and don’t touch or feed them, it gives the best chance for the mother to return and raise her young naturally.”
If you see a deer injured on the roadside or you are involved in a road collision with a deer, please call Staffordshire Police on 999.
If you see a deceased deer on the roadside verge, call 101 and a deer warden will be notified.
