Rescue center releases deer back into wild
Published: October 30, 2006
Eight deer discovered they were free as birds, or free as deer, after being released from rehabilitation in a rural area near Auburn.
Volunteers from Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, a licensed rehabilitation group based in Auburn, celebrated the release of the deer from their Fawn Rehabilitation Center.
“These deer came to us as orphan fawns,” said Aaron Bendavid, a wildlife biologist and Gold Country Wildlife Rescue volunteer. “Some of them were kidnapped, some of them were taken my well-meaning people. They’ve been with us all summer.”
The deer’s reintroduction to freedom is a soft release. A panel was removed from the fence around their habitat Sunday afternoon so the deer are welcome to come and go as they please, Bendavid said.
“One of the nice things about a soft release is that we’ll be able to keep an eye on them, from a distance,” he said.
The deer’s food supply will taper within the next few days as they get accustomed to finding their own food.
“They may very well come back,” Bendavid said.
Bendavid said Gold County Wildlife Rescue does not tag the deer and does not attempt to keep track of the animals once they’re released into the wild. They’re treated like wild animals and not domesticated to give a better chance at a successful release.
“They’re totally ignored. They’re not pets or anything,” Bendavid said.
Even though the deer are treated like the wild animals they are, it’s still an emotional event to see them go.
“As a rehabilitator it’s nice to be able to raise an animal to the point where it can go back to the wild and be free,” Bendavid said. “It’s also bittersweet - It’s kind of like your kids leaving home.”
Sherry Bast, Gold Country Wildlife Rescue president, agreed.
“It’s a warm and fuzzy feeling,” she said.
Volunteer Joe Spera said Sunday’s soft-release marked the end of a successful season for Gold Country Wildlife.
“It’s probably a fact that every one of these would have died, they wouldn’t have survived, and that’s a reward in and of itself,” he said.
Gold Country Wildlife Rescue used to transport deer to a Sierra Wildlife Rescue center in El Dorado County, but the Department of Fish & Game now limits transporting deer out-of-county because of adenovirus hemorrhagic disease. Because of the limitation, Gold Country Wildlife Rescue built its own Placer County facility, located in rural Auburn.
The Fawn Rehabilitation Center, which cost $4,000 to erect, is maintained on a tight budget of grants, donations and volunteer hours.
Once the fence panel was removed Sunday it didn’t take long for the eight deer - six males and two females - to leave their pen. The deer walked around slowly at first, their ears twitching and taking curious steps, but it wasn’t long before the deer were bounding around and nibbling from blackberry bushes.
“This is actually a pretty good release,” Bendavid said. “They all came out and they’re browsing. Welcome to the great outdoors.”
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