SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -
The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center has had to take possession of a mule deer fawn from a man who found her in the mountains near Tucson.
Center officials in Scottsdale said the man thought the approximately 1-week-old fawn was orphaned and needed to be rescued to survive when, in reality, the fawn's mother was probably close by.
The fawn, which was being bottle-fed around the clock, will not be able to be released into the wild after living at the center, and center officials said they hope she will thrive at the center's sanctuary.
The officials said deer, elk or pronghorn young should left alone as the mother is probably foraging nearby. It's not uncommon for mothers to leave their young alone the entire day while they are feeding. Unlike humans, wildlife have to leave their young while they look for food, but they will come back for them, officials said.
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