Fawns (or baby Bambis, as I like to call them) are some of the most adorable creatures. Mother deer start the breeding cycle in late fall, meaning whitetail deer fawns are generally born sometime between April and early July. Back in May of 2014, a man named Steve Knoop was driving down the road when he saw a baby fawn that clearly needed his help.
When Steve saw the crumpled animal, he immediately slammed his brakes and rushed to take a closer look.
The baby was lying on the road, attempting to “hide” itself; i.e. its legs were crumpled awkwardly beneath its body. From afar, the baby looked like roadkill.
Its legs were splayed in every direction and its head was lying on the road. “It is breathing,” Steve says clearly surprised in the footage of the event. Judging from the splay of bright white dots on the animal’s fur, it isn’t more than a couple months old.
As the men observe the fawn, its stomach raises with powerful breaths. The animal’s eyes blink slowly as the strangers approach, but it surprisingly doesn’t startle.
In the video, the men discuss what they should do. The baby is lying in the middle of the roadway and will probably be killed if it isn’t moved. At about 0:45 seconds through the video, Steve and his companion spot the fawn’s mother watching from the forest nearby. The men struggle to come to a decision. But, in the end, they realize they can’t leave the baby there alone. According to the video description, this is when a man named Paul takes action.
Slowly approaching the fawn, to make sure it doesn’t bolt, Paul scoops up the baby with its limbs still bundled underneath its body.
When the baby realizes what is happening, it begins to struggle a bit. Luckily, Paul keeps a good grip on the animal and manages to carry it off the roadway unscathed.
As soon as he releases the baby, it immediately rushes off to meet its mama.
According to the Second Chance Wildlife Center (SCWC), it’s common for fawns to be found curled up in random areas, such as gardens, bushes, and roads. “Sometimes White-tailed fawns appear left behind when crossing roads as they are not as fast as their mothers and may not be used to the feeling of the pavement,” the SCWC website explains.
Many times, a fawn that appears to be abandoned hasn’t been abandoned at all. For this reason, you generally are advised to simply leave them alone. But, in cases like this, where the fawn is in the street, Steve and Paul’s actions are exactly right. As the SCWC recommends, you should simply help the fawn cross in the direction it was going.
Since being uploaded online, Steve’s amazing rescue has been viewed more than 5.1 million times.
People are enamored with the kind men’s actions. Comments on the video read:
“You can tell the true measure of a man by the way he treats animals.”
“That probably felt amazing saving the little baby, well done guys the world needs more people like you.”
“Some people think kill while others say save.”
“These guys are amazing and awesome. Thanks very much for caring about this adorable fawn. you saved it’s life. :-) god bless you gentlemen.”
Watch the incredible rescue below!
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