When a man stepped in to save a fawn from being eaten by predators – he didn’t realise the special bond that would soon form between them
An adorable video has captured the story of a man who rescued a lame baby deer when she was abandoned by her mother and left in a field for predators.
Deer stalker Darius spotted the fawn struggling to keep up with her family after something seemed to be wrong with one of her front legs.
Eventually, the baby deer was forced to give up walking and collapsed into a heap on the grass.
Her mother and sibling walked off without her and never returned.
Left behind: The fawn collapses in the grass with her injured leg
Lurking: A hungry bear hovers nearby as the fawn is unable to pick herself up off the floor
Thankfully, Darius was on hand to rescue the fawn and take her home to recover at his house.
She had a comfy bed made from plenty of blankets and one of Darius’ shirts. Her rescuer also made her a cast from an oatmeal box in an attempt to heal her injured leg.
Cosy: The baby deer makes herself at home
Makeshift: Darius fashioned the baby deer a cast out of an oatmeal box
The fawn, who Darius refused to name so as not to get to attached to her, also made friends with the rest of her rescuer’s pets and struck up a particularly special friendship with his dog, Mack.
The pair became inseparable but Darius explained that the best place for the baby deer was to be back in the wild with her mother.
Hungry: The fawn had to be fed from a bottle every four hours
Making friends: The baby deer got to know all of Darius’ household pets But when Darius attempted to release her back to her family, the baby deer seemed a little reluctant to go.
In the clip she is seen running a full pelt after her rescuer as he attempts to exit the field and leave her with her mother.
Foster father: The baby deer struck up a special friendship with Mack
Close bond: The fawn was reluctant to return to her mother Alongside his YouTube video, Darius wrote: “A deer doe abandoned one of her twin fawns, the fawn had injured leg and could not keep up with the mother.
“I do not support keeping wild animals as a pets, but this was special situation. The baby deer was healed and released back to her real mother.
Reunited: The fawn eventually found her family again
“The doe and two her fawns are still around, we see them through the summer and the autumn.”