[NatureNS] FW: The poor little deer: Fawn born, orphaned same day -- Herald,

Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 11:22:51 -0300
From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.0.6
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

Index of Subjects
> This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.

--Boundary_(ID_tYf2HblOYVBueJVi+SLotA)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable

Here's a bit more on those very late deer fawns, from Bob Bancroft:
----------
From: Bob Bancroft <bancroftreed@auracom.com>
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2006 14:26:29 -0300
To: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>, NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=
>
Cc: Tony Nette <netteal@gov.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: FW: The poor little deer: Fawn born, orphaned same day --
Herald, Sat., Aug. 5, 2006

Hi Folks: One thing I have noted in my career as a biologist is that we
cannot "pigeon-hole" many things in nature as some would prefer. I've
encountered extremely young osprey nestlings in late August, and this fawn
was probably conceived after the three normal periods that Whitetail does
usually undergo - that I mentioned on the radio. Of course, the chances of
these late-born animals surviving may be very low. Nature tends to be tough
on parents to give offspring the best chances of survival; relative to the
kinder seasons.
With all good wishes
Bob

At 11:15 AM 8/7/2006 -0300, Jim Wolford wrote:
This article reminded me of the last time Bob Bancroft was on Maritime Noon=
.
He stated that during the rut in the Fall, white-tailed deer go through
about three different periods of coming into heat, and then the extended
birthing period the next Spring-Summer reflects that -- i.e., the earliest
fawns are born in April, then many in May and June, and this article makes
it clear that at least a few can be born very late.

Maybe Bob can comment further on this?

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville
-------------------
Halifax Herald, Sat., Aug. 5, 2006

The poor little deer: Fawn born, orphaned same day

By MONICA GRAHAM=20
DURHAM =97 A white-tailed fawn, both born and orphaned during a car crash
earlier this week, can thank bystanders=92 fast reaction for her rescue.

An off-duty paramedic and a dairy truck driver acted as deer obstetricians
when the fawn=92s mother and twin were killed in a collision with a car Monda=
y
morning in Pictou County.

Paramedic Andrew Ashford didn=92t expect to be called into action as he heade=
d
home to Durham, west of Pictou, after finishing his shift early Monday
morning.=20

But less than a kilometre from his house he came across an accident.

A pregnant doe had died after colliding with a car, and her fawn
spontaneously aborted.

Mr. Ashford and an unidentified Scotsburn Dairy truck driver climbed over
the bank to examine the dead animal and discovered there was a twin.

"There wasn=92t much to the delivery," he said Friday. "It just happened on
its own. . . . It was awake and healthy right from the beginning.

"It all happened fast," he said, adding the truck driver was working beside
him but he never discovered his name.

The driver of the car that hit the deer was shaken but unhurt, and his
vehicle was badly damaged, Mr. Ashford added.

Mr. Ashford wrapped the newborn in a pair of coveralls in his truck and
called ahead to his wife Sonja to phone someone to treat the fawn.

With the baby wrapped in blankets and a heating pad, he called the
Shubenacadie Wildlife Park and the Natural Resources Department for help. I=
t
took an hour of calling around, but by 7 a.m. he was in contact with the
Seaforth-based Hope for Wildlife Society.

"Hope is a real hero," Mr. Ashford said, referring to society director Hope
Swinemar. "She got the ball rolling immediately."

He drove the fawn to Truro to meet a team of society volunteers who relayed
the animal to the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital, where staff are accustomed
to treating wildlife.

By 11 a.m., an umbilical-cord injury was discovered and the fawn was put
under general anesthesia for a surgeon to repair the damage, Ms. Swinemar
said. The animal also received a microchip and an ear tag for identificatio=
n
and tracking purposes,

"It=92s a girl, so we call her Sonja, after Andrew=92s wife," she said. "It was
going to be Andrew if it was a boy."

Baby deer would normally be protected from disease by the colostrum =97 a
substance containing antibodies =97 in their mother=92s milk, but Ms. Swinemar
and her volunteers fed Sonja goat colostrum collected from the Annapolis
Valley. Sonja began feeding at 6 p.m. and had devoured all the colostrum
within 36 hours.=20

Now living at the society=92s new deer enclosure in Seaforth, Sonja feeds on =
a
special deer formula.

Without the immunity from her mother=92s colostrum, she is kept in isolation
to protect her, Ms. Swinemar said. The society normally releases its orphan=
s
after hunting season, but Sonja was born late in the season and likely won=92=
t
be ready for the wild until next spring, she said.

When Mr. Ashford delivered his first human baby two years ago, he discovere=
d
that his employer had discontinued an earlier tradition of giving a stork
pin for the achievement.

"Now, can I have one?" he joked.

( mgraham@herald.ca
<http://www.herald.ns.ca/Search/"mailto:mgraham@herald.ca"
<http://www.herald.ns.ca/Search/%22mailto:mgraham@herald.ca%22> > )




__________ NOD32 1.1694 (20060805) Information __________

This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
http://www.eset.com



--Boundary_(ID_tYf2HblOYVBueJVi+SLotA)
Content-type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>FW: The poor little deer: Fawn born, orphaned same day -- &nbsp;Hera=
ld, Sat., Aug. 5, 2006</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
Here's a bit more on those very late deer fawns, from Bob Bancroft:<BR>
----------<BR>
<B>From: </B>Bob Bancroft &lt;bancroftreed@auracom.com&gt;<BR>
<B>Date: </B>Wed, 09 Aug 2006 14:26:29 -0300<BR>
<B>To: </B>Jim Wolford &lt;jimwolford@eastlink.ca&gt;, NatureNS &lt;naturen=
s@chebucto.ns.ca&gt;<BR>
<B>Cc: </B>Tony Nette &lt;netteal@gov.ns.ca&gt;<BR>
<B>Subject: </B>Re: FW: The poor little deer: Fawn born, orphaned same day =
-- &nbsp;Herald, Sat., Aug. 5, 2006<BR>
<BR>
Hi Folks: One thing I have noted in my career as a biologist is that we can=
not &quot;pigeon-hole&quot; many things in nature as some would prefer. I've=
 encountered extremely young osprey nestlings in late August, and this fawn =
was probably conceived after the three normal periods that Whitetail does us=
ually undergo - that I mentioned on the radio. Of course, the chances of the=
se late-born animals surviving may be very low. Nature tends to be tough on =
parents to give offspring the best chances of survival; relative to the kind=
er seasons.<BR>
With all good wishes<BR>
Bob<BR>
<BR>
 At 11:15 AM 8/7/2006 -0300, Jim Wolford wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>This article reminded me of the last time Bob Bancroft was on M=
aritime Noon.