nature gift

today we learned a few things about nature. dillon and his friends were out back in the quarry area when they happened upon a tiny baby deer. they called us on their cell phone to say they had found an abandoned baby deer. jeff went back there to see what was going on. next thing i know, they are all headed back with the baby. i quickly set up a little crib and put the dogs in the back bedroom. i wasn't expecting such a wee little baby! i ask the boys some questions about the scene to get an idea of what was going on.

after i get the baby settled, i have the boys go on the internet to read up on taking care of a baby deer and also i make some phone calls to animal control (closed, it's a holiday) and then i have my neighbor come over. her good friend works for a vet, so she calls the friend for advice. we end up with a rehabilitators number, so i give her a call. not the friendliest lady and she proceeds to chew me out and says, the baby hasn't been abandoned and that the mom will come back for it. she goes on to lecture me about how they should have left it, blah, blah, blah. yeah, i get that- but i'm only dealing with the present, not what they did- so give up the tirade and tell me what i should do. she gives me another phone number to call. i call them and she says to take the baby back to the spot where we found it. apparently momma deers leave their babes in a spot that they pick out and come back for them later in the evening. if the baby doesn't look sickly, then this is probably the case. So the boys take baby back to where they found her.

an hour later, me and dill quietly walked back there to make sure baby isn't wandering. baby is still in the same spot, sleeping and being quiet like she is suppose to. this is good. i scout ahead to look around and spy a doe in the field. she is watching me. i feel confident that i have seen momma and feel better. we will check on baby again in the morning to see if mom has come for her or not.

i totally understand their position. i 'm sure they have to deal with these "good intentions" all the time. the boys did what they thought was the right thing; especially given that it was thundering and lightening. hard to just walk away from something so vulnerable.

update: momma did indeed come back for her baby. i went to check on them this morning and the only thing i saw was the crushed grass from where baby was laying in the meadow. a happy ending.....