Rescuing and Relocating Fawn Kits: Hunters Save Lives and Protect Them from Predators

Because of these family connections, the hunters have been deployed every day for the past two weeks, but the search has been limited to a number of small plots. During the morning operations they still saved five kits. After detecting the game by the drone, the hunters remove the nest and place the fawn kits in a large box, the bottom of which is littered with grass. After mowing, the young roe deer are returned to the same location. “Within an hour the deer will be back with her calves,” says De Haes.

The hunters use gloves to move the kits, he continues. “Kits are odorless so as not to attract predators such as foxes or birds of prey. If the mother detects a human scent, she may reject the young.”