A fawn has been euthanized after a group of people removed it from the mountains west of Durango on Sunday and took it to humane society office, wildlife officials say.
Joe Lewandowski, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said the baby deer was about a week old and found alone in the La Plata Mountains. He explained that the fawn was likely left by its mother while she foraged for food and was driven to the La Plata County Humane Society by people concerned for its safety.
“In that kind of situation, there is no way to return a fawn back to the spot where its mother might be,” Lewandowski said. “People will think the animal has been abandoned, but it hasn’t been abandoned. The way I like to put it is, ‘mom is taking a break from the kids.'”
The euthanization was first reported by .
The situation is similar to the newborn bison calf that visitors to Yellowstone National Park in May and which was later euthanized after efforts to reunite it with the herd were rejected.
CPW says there is no way to prosecute the people who removed the deer from the wilderness and that there is no ongoing investigation into the case.
Lewandowski added that he didn’t think the people who removed the fawn from the wild were being malicious, but rather trying to help.
“People aren’t helping,” Lewandowski said. “They’re hurting. It’s a death sentence when people pick up a baby critter and turn it over to us.”
