AN animal charity is urging residents across Renfrewshire to remain ‘wildlife wise’ around young deer.

A number of fawns have come into the care of the Scottish SPCA after being up-lifted by passers-by.

And of the nine animals that have been brought to the charity, seven of those were taken from their natural environment by people who have mistaken the animals as abandoned by their parents.

Mike Flynn, the Scottish SPCA’s chief superintendent, said: “By removing a fawn when there is no need to, it can cause great distress to mother and baby.

“We’ve had instances where people have phoned our animal helpline about a fawn and have chosen to ignore our advice and uplifted the animal anyway. One fawn was less than a day old and died shortly after arriving.”

The charity is asking people to be #WildlifeWise and stay a safe distance away from fawns and not to contact its helpline unless the young deer is showing signs of needing assistance.

A mother will return to the fawn and feed it so if someone does return later and the fawn does not show any signs of needing help then it should be left alone.

Mike added: “Some people have taken the fawns in to their homes. These are not domestic pets used to human interaction. Sadly, this can cause so much stress that the animal can pass away.

“Our teams work incredibly hard to rehabilitate these fawns and get them ready to be released back in to the wild. This usually involves regular bottle feeding.

“Our concern is also with the doe that finds her fawn missing. Unfortunately, this can result in the deer passing away due to the extreme stress caused.

“People should only intervene if the fawn is injured or the mother is deceased nearby.”

Contact the Scottish SPCA helpline on 03000 999 999.

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond

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