PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The National Park Service is asking summer park visitors not to touch any seemingly unattended baby deer, no matter how cute they may be. While fawns can sometimes appear abandoned, the NPS says that the mother doe is likely foraging nearby.

“Please do not approach or touch these fawns, they are very likely not abandoned,” the NPS wrote on Crater Lake National Park’s Facebook Page. Their mother has temporarily left her offspring, probably to find food, but will return. Let them be, and mother and child will soon be reunited.”

  • A deer pictured alone on the side of a roadway in 2023 was later photographed reuniting with its mother. (NPS)
  • A baby deer follows its mother (NPS)

Baby deer are often found along the roadside following winters with heavy snowpack — similar to the snowpack accumulated in Oregon and around much of the Western U.S. this year. While it may be tempting to approach these roadside critters, the NPS is asking the public to keep a safe distance from the local wildlife.

“Kindly, do not touch!” the NPS said. “It is at this time of year that does may give birth and temporarily leave their newborns on the side of the road on warm pavement, especially in high-snowpack years.”