Gentle Rescue

They are fawns. Some are orphans. Others are hurt. All are scared. But at Morgan Creek Wildlife Rescue in Winnabow, they are in a safe place where they receive the care they need to return to their natural habitat. 

“Each of the fawns we get is in pain in some way,” says Morgan Creek’s founder, MADGE MATTEO. “When one of them makes it, your heart fills up.” 

The dangers they face are both natural and man-made. Fawns are prey to coyotes and bears, and in the searing summer temperatures they can suffer from dehydration. In addition, fawns are hurt while trying to escape from lawn care services, and some are injured when land is being clearcut. Others are the victims of good intentions. People, thinking a fawn has been abandoned, move it. Instead, the fawn becomes traumatized. Others become orphans when their mothers suffer a fatal injury such as being hit by a car. 

Matteo is doing all in her power to help fawns beat the odds against them. Matteo, who is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, discovered her passion was saving fawns after working for years with loggerhead turtles, birds, and other wildlife. Consequently, in 2017, she created the nonprofit Morgan Creek, which is one of only eleven licensed fawn wildlife rehabilitation centers in the state. 

Matteo’s work with the fawns is a labor of love. Every May to September, she turns her residence into a haven for one to a dozen or more needy fawns. Their feeding schedule alone is exhausting, she says. The fawns eat every three to four hours, with the young ones receiving individualized milk formulas and the older ones chopped vegetables.   

Matteo also provides the fawns with basic medical care, such as subcutaneous IV fluids, antibiotics, and deworming.  

Newly arrived fawns get special attention. Matteo sets them up inside her home for a couple of days and sleeps next to them at night.   

“The fawns don’t make a lot of noise if they are in pain or uncomfortable,” Matteo says. “I have to watch them.” 

She brings the fawns inside when it gets unbearably hot as well. Though deer are used to living outside, their habitat is the woods where there is coverage, she explains. 

When the fawns are older and healthy enough, Matteo transfers them to kennels in her backyard. She also ensures they get exercise and learn how to live outdoors. In September, she releases the fawns into the surrounding area.  

Though Morgan Creek is essentially a solo endeavor, Matteo has a small, core group of volunteers. They receive intense training for the work they do and must be available frequently and at times at a moment’s notice.   

“My volunteers need to be right here,” Matteo says. “A lot of them are from Leland, because they have to return to the house so often for feeding. … I have to be able to call on people when we get a fawn, and they come running.”  

Matteo also educates the public about fawns. She makes presentations to groups and goes before county commissioners to help them understand how fawns can be protected – even in the midst of development. For example, if the county required developers to work with licensed rehabilitation experts and provided land for displaced animals, fawns, and other wildlife could be saved, she says. Matteo would also like the county to require developers to walk the land to discover the animals hiding in it before burning or clear-cutting properties. 

“We need to take extra care to protect the animals,” she says. “Animals don’t own the land, but they have the right to live on it.”  

Funding is a major concern for Matteo. Though Morgan Creek gets some individual donations, she foots much of the bill – about $40,000 a year – herself. A large portion of the money goes for food. The milk formula is expensive, and the older fawns eat approximately 10 pounds of vegetables a day. Added to that is the expense of medications and veterinary services. This year, Matteo is also paying for fences to be built around the kennels to protect the fawns from predators.  

For Matteo, each and every fawn is precious, and it’s her mission to help them survive. 

“I don’t care if we save ten fawns or one,” she says. “That one is just as important as ten.” 

What to Do if You Find a Fawn

Leave the Fawn Alone 

If a fawn is sleeping with its legs tucked under it, leave it alone. Monitor the fawn for six to eight hours and see if its mother returns. 

 When to Get Help 

• If a fawn’s ears are curled, it is dehydrated. 

• If a fawn’s legs are stretched out, its head is on the ground, or there are flies or maggots around it, it is in distress.  

• If a fawn is walking around and making beeping or clicking noises, it is looking for its mother. If you can, watch the fawn until dusk to see if the mother returns. If she doesn’t, the fawn is likely orphaned and needs help.  

• The mother doesn’t return to the fawn. 

Who to Call for Help 

• If a fawn is in distress, call Morgan Creek Wildlife Rescue at (900) 800-0534 – you might need to leave a message – or any licensed wildlife rehabilitator.   

To view more of photographer Brenda Torrey’s work, go to brendatorreyphotography.com. 

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