B.C. SPCA, Wild Arc and Oak Bay Police are urging Oak Bay and surrounding area drivers to keep a sharp eye for any fawn that may jump out in the road.
After all, ‘tis the season. On average every year, Wild Arc records show that 20 to 30 per cent of deer fawns admitted between May and August are hit by cars, largely due to the heightened activity of deer during these months.
“At this point there will be a lot less of the fawn napping happening, because the fawns are old enough now to go with mom,” said Christina Carrières, Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator at BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre.
It’s within these first two weeks of life, when the fawns are left behind by the does (which come back a couple of times a week) that collisions with vehicles happen, as the fawns do tend to wander off.
“That’s when they become roadkill or accidents.”
Carrières pointed out that the message at this point is that there are deer out there that might be moving along in groups.
“When you see a deer on the side of the road, expect that there’s going to be another one, so slow down long enough to make sure there’s not more than one deer coming,” she said.
If it does happen and a deer is struck, it’s probably best to just call the Conservation Service or local police.
“They may or may not have serious injuries, so if you put them in the car and they recover from shock, that’s when it becomes dangerous,” Carrières said. “I would recommend to just give us a call and we can assess the situation.”
Conservation officers took to Twitter to remind drivers to slow down and be wary after a fawn was hit in Oak Bay about week ago, and now new signage is being put up to warn drivers of possible deer activity in their area.
Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society, based in Oak Bay, has distributed more than 700 signs that say “Caution - Expect Deer” and the municipality of Esquimalt recently ordered them as well.
“We have provided Sooke residents with over 70, and along with requests from Oak Bay residents, we’ve got signs in Saanich, the West Shore, and Victoria,” said society president Kristy Kilpatrick. “We’ve even sent signs to England, Oregon, and Australia. Those requests came from tourists who saw our signs here and liked them. We’ve also had requests from the Interior to use our design.”
It’s certainly working. Kilpatrick said that since the signs have been installed, the society is now getting lots of fawn sightings and as a result have had lots of sign requests coming in this past week or two.
Have a fawn or deer activity to report in your area? Call 250-478-9453 or alternatively, the Conservation hotline at 1-800-663-9453
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