Requirements for Volunteers Interested in Stabilizing Fawns
Would you like to enjoy the pleasure of nurturing these sweet, gentle and shy creatures? Do you have the time, special skills and circumstances required for their initial care? Fawns are some of the most vulnerable wildlife NAR cares for. When fawns arrive, they are often medically fragile and require intensive care that requires time, patience and skill in administering medications and basic veterinary care.
As a volunteer fawn stabilizer, you will provide the initial intensive care for between one to three fawns at a time in their first weeks of rehabilitation until they are ready to be transferred to another fawn team member who will care for them until they are ready to be released back into the wild. Stabilizing fawns and getting them to the point where they are feeding well can take from two to four weeks beginning as early as March or as late as August.
Fawns require indoor and outdoor housing that is quiet, stress-free and predator-proof. They must be kept in a tranquil area free from the hustle and bustle of traffic, children, pets, and everyday household activities. Fawns must be kept in a warm, safe, enclosed structure at night. During the day, they need to be housed in an outdoor area that is approximately 8’ x 8’. The ideal fawn stabilization habitat is a field on rural property that is very quiet. NAR will provide the enclosed structure (if you don’t have one), fencing, the equipment (feeding bottles and bowls and water dispensers) and the food, supplements and any medications required for the growing fawns.
Before you begin, you will receive training and will be provided with fawn stabilization/rehabilitation manuals and the names of experienced fawn rehabbers whom you can call with questions at any time during the season.
Do you:
- Live on property that is rural and quiet
- Have room on your property for an enclosure that is at least 8’ by 8’
- Have experience and expertise in administering veterinary medications and providing basic veterinary care
Do you have time to:
- Bottle-feed the fawns several times a day
- Administer medications and supplements when needed
- Provide basic veterinary care when needed
- Clean the enclosures every day
- Provide clean water and “grazing” food
NAR will provide:
- An enclosure that is approximately 8′ x 8′
- Appliances including feeding bottles, feeding bowls, and water dispensers
- Food, supplements, and medications
- Training
- A contact person who is an experienced fawn stabilizer and rehabilitator
If you are interested in volunteering to stabilize young fawns on your property, please contact Eve Egan at info@nativeanimalrescue.org or call 831-462-0726. A representative from NAR will arrange to visit you to discuss the logistics and feasibility of using your property for this purpose. The enclosure (structure and fencing) will be erected by NAR or its representative and will remain the property of NAR. When you no longer wish to stabilize fawns, NAR will remove the enclosure at its own expense.
All NAR volunteers are required to complete a volunteer application and sign NAR’s Release of Liability and Indemnity Agreement.
Thank you for your interest in this extremely rewarding and invaluable volunteer opportunity.
