Over 5’000 roe deer fawns rescued in Switzerland

In Switzerland, more than 5,000 roe deer fawns have been rescued this season.

This is reported by the non-profit association Rehkitzrettung.

According to the association, 5,195 roe deer fawns were rescued in Switzerland this season. Last year, the figure was 6,064. The slight decline is a result of the difficult weather conditions this year, the association reports. The normal birthing season for roe deer fawns is between late April and early June.

This year, farmers had already started mowing due to the warm, sunny weather in early April, before the roe deer fawns had been born. Due to the wet weather that followed, many roe deer also gave birth to their fawns in the forest rather than in the wet meadows.

Roe deer does hide their fawns in tall grass to protect them from predators. The young animals have a crouching instinct at this stage of their lives. What offers them protection also puts them in mortal danger.

Farmers must simultaneously mow their meadows, which in the long-term average results in 1,500 roe deer fawns killed by farm machinery per year. According to experts, however, the number of unreported cases is considerably higher. According to Rehkitzrettung.ch, several thousand fawns are killed each year.

The volunteers of Rehkitzrettung Schweiz fly over meadows scheduled for mowing with their drones and thermal imaging cameras in order to find and rescue as many fawns as possible. The association works closely with hobby hunters and farmers. Every year, the association trains new rescue teams to locate roe deer fawns across the entire area.