Kent Treptow/The Olympian
A young blacktailed deer munches leaves Tuesday at the PAWS Olympic Wildlife Center in McCleary. There are 18 fawns at the center in need of browse, or leafy yard clippings, upon which they feed.

Kent Treptow/The Olympian
Four young blacktailed deer peer from a pen at the PAWS Olympic Wildlife Center.

Fawns flying through forage at McCleary wildlife center

JOHN DODGE, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published July 18, 2001

McCLEARY -- A wildlife rehabilitation center based in rural Grays Harbor County is calling on the public to help feed 18 orphaned fawns housed there.

The young deer, 3 to 6 weeks old, need a steady supply of leaves, twigs and young shoots from trees and shrubs to prepare them for their return to the wild this fall, said Emily Meredith, manager of the Progressive Animal Welfare Society's Olympic Wildlife Center.

"We could use about two pickup loads a day," she said.

As the fawns are weaned, browse becomes an increasingly important part of their diet, Meredith said.

The center has exhausted its on-site supply, she said.

The types of foliage in demand include fresh branches from pesticide-free fruit trees, vine maple, alder, large-leaf maple trees and berry bushes, including blackberries.

The 18 blacktailed deer were orphaned and taken into captivity after their mothers were struck by cars or attacked by dogs or other predators, Meredith said.

Last year, the wildlife center cared for 11 fawns, she said.

But there's no statistical or anecdotal data to suggest this is a banner year for deer.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife won't have estimates of the 2001 deer population -- including fawns -- for another month, agency spokeswoman Margaret Ainscough said.

"They haven't been doing particularly well the past few years," she said.

Nuisance complaints involving deer are running near normal this year, according to Keith Underwood, coordinator of the Thurston County Master Gardeners program.

"Most people have learned to live with them," he said.

John Dodge covers the environment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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