In a written statement, Mounties said they pulled over a vehicle during a traffic stop in the early morning hours of June 30 and found a one-month-old fawn in the back seat. Police said after arresting the occupants of the car for possession of wildlife, they searched it and found drugs, but did not say what kind or in what quantity. It is a criminal offense to possess wild animals in BC, live or dead, without a license or permit issued by the provincial chief veterinarian.
Conservation officers will help with injured wildlife
Fawn season is usually from May to early July, when fawns become more independent from their mothers. The BC SPCA said if you spot a fawn you believe to be an orphan, it’s best to leave the animal alone as it’s normal for a doe to leave her offspring for long periods of time to forage. But if it looks injured or you can see its parent is dead, she recommends calling the Conservation Service, which can pick up the baby deer and take it to a wildlife rehabilitation center. The agency cautions against rescuing injured adult deer, as they are difficult to keep in captivity and warn that they can be dangerous due to their size and strength. He recommends calling the RCMP or the conservation agency in such a case.
Captive fawn dehydrated with digestive problems
Fort St. John RCMP say they turned the captured animal over to the Conservation Officer Service. On July 1, the provincial agency moved it to the Rimrock Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Dawson Creek, about 75 kilometers southeast of Fort St. John. A month-old fawn before being transported to an RCMP facility after being caught in the back seat of a car was stopped by police in Fort St. John on June 30. (RCMP) Rimrock co-owner Corinna Harvey said the fawn, a young deer, was not injured but had other health concerns. “He was dehydrated and had digestive issues but will recover well,” she wrote in a Facebook post. Harvey and her husband founded Rimrock as the first wildlife rehabilitation center in the Irene area two years ago. Fort St. John Mounties say they are continuing to investigate and are asking anyone with additional information about the incident to call police at 250-787-8100. People who discover injured or orphaned wildlife are asked to call the BC SPCA provincial call center at 1-855-622-7722 or the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
