Baby deer born seconds AFTER her mother was killed by car miraculously survives

By Mail Online Reporter

Miracle survival: Bambi the deer was born after her mother was knocked down and killed by a car


A baby roe deer, born after her mother was hit and killed by a car, is being hand-reared in a Cheshire RSPCA centre.

An inspector was called to a pregnant deer hit by a car near Turton, Bolton at around 1.00am on Sunday 23 May 2010. The collision killed the adult almost instantly but ruptured her abdomen and two kids spilled out. Miraculously, one was still alive.

RSPCA chiefs initially rated the tiny newborn's prospects as bleak. But now, four weeks on, they have described Bambi's survival as unbelievable and told how she is getting stronger by the day.

RSPCA inspector Ben Strangwood said: 'It's usually very bad news when a deer is hit by a car. In the vast majority of cases they have to be put to sleep to end their suffering - that's what makes this all the more amazing.'

'I've never seen anything like it before. The fact this kid survived what happened to her mother is unbelievable. Obviously, everyone has their fingers crossed for a happy ending.'

The orphaned fawn is being hand-reared by veterinary nurse Sarah Goodwin at RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, near Nantwich, Cheshire. They have built up a special bond and she is the only human allowed to come into contact with the fawn to give it the best chance of being released into the wild.


A real life bambi, the roe deer whose mother was killed in a car accident


For the past four weeks, Sarah has fed her day and night. Initially, the deer was bottle-fed but is now drinking a milk substitute from a bowl. Sarah said: 'We really weren't sure how she'd get on, having had none of the benefits of her mother's milk, but things are going well and she's getting stronger every day.'

'We're not out of the woods yet: hand-rearing a wild animal is a difficult task and anything could go wrong, but as more time goes by you naturally become more hopeful.' The deer is expected to stay at Stapeley for another few weeks and will then be transferred to another centre.

It is hoped that it will be released into the wild when it is strong enough to survive.

Last year the RSPCA received more than 3,000 calls about deer involved in road accidents. To donate to the RSPCA for Bambi, contact 0300 1230346 or rspca.org.uk/donate/ online


source: dailymail