This past summer was a difficult one for those who live on the edge of Alimagnet Park. For the first time since homes were built in this area wildlife started dropping dead all in the same part of the park. There were 3 dead fawn, 2 dead doe, and dead raccoon all in the same vicinity. It was clear that the animals didn't just drop dead of natural causes. Two were does that had fawns and the fawns ran around crying. It was heartbreaking. The wildlife rehabbers wouldn't accept the fawns because of chronic wasting disease and the Department of Natural Resources wouldn't investigate the causes of death.
To make matters worse this is the first year that we are not seeing the number of deer we've seen in 15 years. Every fall the bucks come in during the rut season to chase the females around. So far we've spotted nothing. There has consistently been two family of deer. Family one; a doe, her buck born last year, and two fawns (a buck and doe). Family two; a doe and three fawns (does). I believe one of those was an orphan taken on by a doe with two fawns of her own. We don't see them often but they appear weekly.
I was driving down the road on the other side of the park a couple days ago and found a dead doe on the side of the road, crossing my fingers it wasn't one of the mothers from the two family groups.
Here's a fawn from this year. He lost his mom.
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