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Clinton News-Record, 1985-5-29, Page 411 Mews nd feat Not Disney world, but real life situations By Steve Cooke The angler froze when he heard the rustl- ing in the bush and watched as a fawn on long spindly legs emerged from the brushy stream bank. The fawn gazed around in bewilderment and bleated for its mother. It was a peek at nature that few people ever get the opportunity to observe. If the angler had quietly left the scene, all would have been well, but he didn't. As he moved towards the fa'vn, instinct took over, and it crouched motionless in the fresh spr- ing grass. Looking around, the fisherman could see no sign of the doe, and believing the fawn to be abandoned, stopped and cradled it in his arms. It wasn't until he was half way back to the car that he suddenly realized that he. had ab- solutely no idea of what to do with a new born. fawn. It's a scenario that happens all too often. Subtly brainwashed by Disney type films, and "Gentle Ben" serials on T.V., people tend to attribute humanesque qualities to animals and believe themselves to be the white knight saviour of wildlife. In actual fact, their misguided attempt to help often condemns the victim to certain death. Cow's mills., fed from a bottle, is great for babies, but it is far too rich a mixture for most baby mammals. Young animals will often drink the milk eagerly since they are dehydrated after being separated from their mother, but the excessive fats cause diges- tion problems that can be slow and painful killers. But, there is an even more important function associated with feeding newborn mammals. In a natural setting, the female licks the anal gland while the young are nur- sing. This gentle massage stimulates the sphincter muscles and promotes defecation. Without it, a'severe case of constipation will „set in and eventually cause death. Few peo- ple are even, aware of this requirement, and even those who are, are reluctant to provide this stimulation by artificial means. By the time the angler•reached.his car, he had decided that the best thing to do would be to leave the fawn with a farmer he knew who owned land near the 's'tream he had been fishing. 'After all, farmers know all about animals and wildlife!. • In this case, the angler was lucky. John . Hazlitt did know what to do, mainly because he had worked as a Forest Ranger when he was a. young man, but he also realized that, the damage' had probably already been done.vival, it was decided to rest the area corn - The fawn w•AC ntiickly trancfnrrnrt to pletely for a few days in order to eliminate small di.rinly lit calf pen. Hopefully, the low light would keep it calm, and the sweet barn scent would mask the taint of human hands. If it could be kept quiet, uninjured and free of human odour, there was a chance it would be reaccepted by the doe. John called the Ministry 9)f Natural Resources to advise themof the situation, and to ask for any helpful hints they might have. As it turned out, the Wingharn office was engaged in an electronic tracking experi- ment with whitetail deer, and it was quickly decided that this fawn should be fitted with a radio collar so the success or failure of the release could be monitored. If it was readopted, and survived, the information gathered of its movements would be in- valuable. A special ultra -light collar was put together and phgase two of the release started. In the dim, restricted quarters of the calf pen. the young deer was swaddled in a blanket saturated with deer scent and gent- ly, but quickly, measured, weighed and tag- ged. The expandable collar with its light degradable release bands was fitted and the deer was quickly transported to the site where it was originally picked up. Holding the deer gently until it was steady on its feet, and aware of its surroundings, M.N.H. biologist, Ken Maronets, slowly released his grip until it was free once more. Two light bounds carried it under a leafy bush where it looked back over its shoulder before mov- ing off. Ken quietly moved back and out of the area. Back at the car, Ken Maronets and Con -i servation Officer, Bob Pegg, assembled the tracking antenna and made one last check to see that all systems were working proper- ly. Everything checked out, and the area was vacated completely in the hope the doe !would return. Over. the course of the next three days, periodic checks were made on the fawn. For two days, it remained in the same location, then .on the third day was located approx- imately 300 meters from the release site. . Everyone feels that the three day survival, coupled with the move, indicates that the doe has returned and is feeding the fawn again. "I'd be very surprised to find the fawn abandoned again at this point!" Mike Mallihoit, M.N.R. District Biologist, reported. With a 90 per cent chance of sur - res CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY. JUNE 5 —Page 3 0 s Keit Maronets, a Ministry of Natural Resources Biologist, steadies the tramsitter equip- ped fawn on its feet before releasing it at the soot where it was first picked Istevo Cooke photo) any chance of .disturbing the doe. As we go to press, they plan to do one more check to see if it is 'still alive. If so, a program will be set up so the biologists can ,continue to monitor the fawn's movements over the course of the suinrner. Everyone involved. is very optimistic of its success, and if the local cheering section has anything to do with it, our little buck whitetail will come through with flying col- ours. As we go to press with this issue, we have just received word that the fawn was located once attain. with the transmitter and , observed with field glasses. Six full days atter its release. the,fawn-is alive, alert and appears to be doing well. It's a survivor! Leave orphaned animals alone By. Steve 'Cooke . What• do you do when you find a young anirnal which appeals to have been deserted or orphaned. In a word: NOTHING! Young• animals are rarely orphaned in the wild. When you stumble across p baby in the bush, chances are the adult is lurking somewhere nearby, waiting for you to leave. Since the young give off very little scent, the mother usually freezes its offspring. and tries to lead the predator off in a safe direc- tion. As soon as the danger has passed, the adult will return and relocate its baby. One of the . best known examples of this behaviour is the female killdeer, which fakes a broken wing to draw the predator away., By the same token, it is rare indeed that Pick Your Own STRAWBERRIES ONIISDAT iinif .50091,5 with .tr t. After Monday, June 10 FULL SUPPLY! Weather permitting FOR CROP INFORMATION & PICKING HOURS CALL 565-2122 cW uzon cRidde e czes Dein!, Carol Steckle 8 Fancily R.R. 2 Zurich, 565.2T22 Connie's Kitchen Cupboard WHITE4.4 ..-..-._._ SUGAR 2 2 4Ib Inhood FLOUR Minute TAPIOCA In the Shell PEANUTS 3 O Ib $1 22 ® Ib 98 Ib Large or Small Quantities Speei®Is in effect till June 15th) WEDDINGS -BANQUETS and RECEPTIONS buy In bulk for your preparations!! OPEN Monday it Tuesday 8cm•?pm Wednesday Closed Thursday, Friday 6 Saturday e am. 6 pm Sunday Closed Proprietress Connie DeJong CaII anytime 523-9609 LOCATION: 41/2 ml es north of Clinton, 11/2 sallies south of Londesboro. Turn wrest of Clinton Boxed Meats, 2nd Farm on the loft. an adult falls prey to.a predator leaving art orphan behind. In most cases, if a predator is successful, it's usually the' young that becomes the victim. One exception to this.' rule, however,'occurs when an adult is killed by a car. . If you happen to come' across what ap- pears to be an abandoned animal, the best thing to do is leave it completely alone, and vacate the .area as quickly and quietly as possible. The more an area is disturbed, or saturated with human scent. the slimmer the chance that the adult will return. The chances also decrease depending on the size of the litter. • If someone does pick up an animal, try to return it to the spot where it was found as quickly as possible, Wra,n it loosely. in an old blanket or towel to raurninize the chance of its hurting itself while struggling, but avoid'' using anything that carries a perfumed scent on it, Snap. fabric softener or anti- , static sprays all leave residues which could be transferred to the animal. ('over its eyes tq help'calrn it, but be sure,the nostrils stay. • 'clear suit can breathe properly. Everyone seems to know someone who • has raised a wild animal successfully, but failures are seldom. recounted 'or reraiembered.Even those that were initially successful invariably end tragically somewhere along the line. It may. seem cruel at the tune. but in the hong run, the best bet is to let'natun' take its course. ( uu�et b atiuu Oflicet Lob !'egg, (right) auJ Ministry of Natural Resource Biologist Ken Maronets, check.the location of the fawn us- ing a directional antenna. At first is was uncertain whether the fawn would survive without its mother. (Steve Cooke photo) Radio trackdn`. is new technir e Radio tracking, as it applies to deer, is a new resource tool in its infant stages in On- tario. Some work has been done in the United States concerning whitetail deer, but every area offers a unique set of cir- cumstances and problems. When it comes to collaring fawns, there are some very specialized requirements to be considered. When tagged, a fawn is very small, but a rapid growth period soon follows. The Collar roust be designed to ac- commodate rapid growth without choking the animal, yet be secure enough to stay in place without irritating the neck. There isn't much room for error, and allowances must be made with the welfare of the animal in mind. The collar used in this experiment is the result of several modifications and with any luck will perform as desired. Previous ex- periments with fawns in • the Huronia District have resulted in the collar falling off prematurely, often within a week. The harness for this particular transmitter would best be described as a sliding belt. As the fawn grows, the overlap- ping ends will slide back upon themselves until the limit of adjustment is reached. At that tune, the whole affair will drop off. As an added safety feature, the restraining bands are manufactured from a light sen- sitive rubber which will disintegrate over a period of three months releasing the collar. The Transmitter itself is a battery powered unit completely sealed in an epoxy - like covering to protect it from moisture. It is capable of sending out different signals which can be interpreted to locate the source, tell whether the subject is moving or • stationary, and determine whether it is still alive or not. The whole apparatus ..weighs a scant 100 grams or slightly less than four ounces. The receiver, which picks up the signal, is a hand carried unit, which uses a directional antenna to determine the exact position. An experienced .operator can pinpoint the source of the signal to within a 50 meter square area. v' For practical research purposes, however, a more general reading from a greater distance is all that is required. By. doing periodic checks over a period of tirne, the general movement patterns and ter- ritory boundaries can be established and related .to the habitat utilized. By understanding habitat requirements, similar areas can be assessed for'their deer holding capabilities. This information would also be invaluable where wildlife oriented reforestation projects are being under- taken. The pinpoint accuracy available is utilized to locate shed collars and to evaluate the circumstances surrounding a death when the mortality signal is tripped. The only drawback to the tracking' pro- gram is that it ,requires a lot of man hours. Effecting a capture, 'installing the transmitter, and doing the subsequent follow ups require a good deal of time, and that takes a big bite out of budgets, which are already cut back and strained to the liznit. On the other hand, the information gained by such a program can help fill in many gaps in our understanding of wildlife behaviour with cold, hard facts. If'this attempt is a success, it will not only provide us with much needed information, but will encourage. further trials. Somewhere out there is'a fawn with ear tags number 11, educating us, and enjoying a se- cond lease on life at the same time. Join ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS Let her know you married her for better. ANSTETT JEWELLER'S DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY RING • .35,CT. TOTAL WEIGHT • APPROXIMATE VALUE $1000. For our Anniversary, you could own this Diamond Anniversary Ring. Come into any of our five locations and ask about details. Are you celebrating an anniversary? Our Anniversary gift ideas go from the most exquisite jewellery pieces to the more traditional gift ideas. Come in to Anstett's during our 35th Anniversary month and select the best from the professionals. ANSTE T JEWELLERS 1 Aihart St CLINTON 204 Main St EXETER 2r. Min St Smith SEAFORTH t ST. MARYS WALKERTON 1 1r, 2(x'l Fh,rh;cr,. 51 The Diamorhd Anniversary Ring. 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