ORLANDO, Fla. – This may not be the story of the classic Disney animated character Bambi, but this fawn is definitely as adorable as him.
A key deer fawn was struggling in a canal when a nearby resident spotted it, jumped into a canoe and rescued it from drowning. After saving it, the rescuer called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to the scene.
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When officers Brittany Mobley and Adam Garrison arrived, the resident turned over the rescue deer to them. They were able to dry off the unharmed fawn and release it back into the wild as its mother was likely close by.
While it may be tempting to want to take the young wildlife from the wild, the FWC advises people to leave the young where they found it. Its mother is usually in the area foraging for food and will return to her young in the place it was last left.
If you see an endangered species in distress, report it to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Reward Program at (888) 404-FWCC (3922) or online at Tip @MyFWC.com.
Key deer are protected as a federally endangered species.
Learn more about them here.