Good Samaritans Save Injured Little Fawn On Side Of Roadway

This is a heartwarming story from the Associated Human Societies Popcorn Park Facebook page. How many times have most of us spotted a deer lying on the side of the road, assumed it was dead and just kept going?

Joseph Gildersleeve didn’t. And a little fawn is alive because of the Gildersleeve family’s efforts.

“Lots of people see a deer on the side of the road and just keep on driving by but luckily, the right person happened to be passing by this little deer, and didn’t pass him by.

Joseph Gildersleeve was walking to work on Monday in Bayville, NJ, and happened upon this tiny, injured deer. The two- month- old fawn had been hit by a car by someone that obviously, just kept right on driving. Joe approached the deer that was very alert, but could not move, and found him to be pretty banged up and trembling, so he covered him with his jacket to make him feel comfortable and secure, and then telephoned for help. Even though Joe was already late for work, he just couldn’t leave the little deer, so he sat down and waited for help to arrive.

About an hour passed and no one had arrived yet to help the little fawn, so Joe called his mother, Lori, to see if she could find someone to help. Lori called the police department again who informed her that they really couldn’t help when it came to deer being hit by cars, so Lori put a desperate plea for help out on Facebook. By a stroke of luck, our AHS Board member, Barbara Lathrop, spotted it. Barbara contacted Lori immediately to get a location of the deer, then called our Popcorn Park Director, John Bergmann, for assistance. John headed right out to help the deer while Lori and her mother, Linda, headed out to stay with the deer until help arrived. All the while, the little baby deer lay sleeping quietly, his neck turned toward the breeze.

When our van arrived and the baby deer was gently lifted up and placed in a crate, he seemed quite relieved to be out of harms way. He was taken straight to our medical department where our veterinarian, Dr. Baris, checked him out and x-rayed him. Thankfully, he did not have any broken bones, but he did sustain a concussion and some cuts and scrapes. His injuries were tended to and he was made very comfortable, then the little guy was transported to a wildlife rehabilitation facility where he will be resting, relaxing, and getting well.

Another animal saved, all because someone decided to step in and help, rather than look the other way. Thank you to the Gildersleeve family for taking the time to stop and help this injured baby deer. There should be more people like you that care so much about animals in need!

Note: Many of you have asked who to call if you come across an injured deer or wild animal, as in the case of this baby deer. If you are in New Jersey and live in a town that we at Associated Humane Societies provide your Animal Control services, then call us.

To find out who provides your town with Animal Control, call your local police department). ALL THREE of our AHS facilities have Animal Control Officers that will go out for injured wildlife. If you are in a town in NJ that is NOT contracted with AHS, then you should start with calling your local police department. Some township police are very helpful with injured wildlife, some are not. You can also call your local Animal Control. The more phone calls that you make, the more likely it is that you will get someone to come out and help you. Please, do not give up!”