Steve the Fawn

By Maria Pashos

My zoom call begins and I’m met with the friendly Jessica Metzgar from the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I first notice the two cat trees stationed on either side of her background; soon three felines will make their appearance. Two of them claim the top beds as one scratches it’s way up the pole, reminding me of that famous scene in “The Lion King” where Mufasa is hanging on the cliff by a paw – except this cat is clearly enjoying itself.

Jessica’s response to the first question I put to her addresses the scene; her experience with wildlife rescue began with the rehabilitation of domestic animals like mice, hamsters, frogs, and hermit crabs, and gradually evolved with the needs of Pocono Wildlife. Currently, she houses fawns in her back yard, has horses on her property, and while on camera pointed to a corner of the room that wasn’t visible to me, where she keeps a female hummingbird named Tinkerbell. To my delight, she later followed up with images of the tiny bird, currently nursing a broken wing. This, in addition to the aforementioned cats and a sweet dog that dipped in and out of her frame, returning every so often for some affection.

When Jessica received a hotline call from a farmer in Lackawanna about a fawn that he had noticed on the side of the road, and that had remained in the same spot for multiple days, she spent a considerable amount of time on the phone with him assessing the situation before advising him on how to properly make contact with the fawn and how to transport him. She drove out and met the farmer and his eight-year-old son halfway. Upon meeting them she was promptly informed that the young boy had chosen a name for the baby fawn: Steve.

Steve the fawn.

The first couple of weeks after a new fawn is rescued are crucial. Steve exhibited difficulty standing and was experiencing muscle tremors, symptoms that pointed to neurological challenges. It was clear to Jessica that Steve had likely been hit by a vehicle, as he had a noticeable limp, a physical attribute that remained with him after he had healed and regained his strength. She affectionately described Steve as her “little goat” and explained that she will always recognize him because of his “waddle.”

Despite the dehydrated, weak, and injured state Steve was in, Jessica’s biggest concern was the risk that the two-week-old fawn might go into a state of Myopathy, a disease that can be prompted by the stress an animal experiences when being handled. Many wildlife animals are susceptible to Myopathy, but hooved mammals like fawns are especially at risk during the first two weeks of rehabilitation. So serious is the risk of Myopathy, a disease that cannot be corrected after contraction, that Jessica decided she would bring the fawn straight home instead of the clinic to avoid added stress.

This is just one of many measures that Jessica takes to ensure that her fawns do not succumb to the condition, so upon arrival at her home, where she has been rehabilitating fawns for the Pocono Wildlife Rescue for over two years, Steve was quarantined in a pen and treated with medicine, formula, and fluids for the first few days of his recovery.

Jessica placed as much urgency on getting Steve socialized with other fawns as she placed on him making a full recovery, emphasizing that the faster he found his place amongst the other fawns the less at risk he was overall. After a few days, Steve had taken to eating regularly and was growing stronger, so Jessica decided it was time for him to meet Max, another fawn that was just a couple days older, and to her relief, they became fast friends.

The three goals of rehabilitation for the fawns are that they will learn to hide from predators, learn to forage, and lastly, that they adapt to existing within a herd, all things that are crucial to their living healthy lives both physically and socially. This is where Sven, a buck that was rehabilitated by Jessica last year, played a huge role in her efforts to socialize Steve.

She describes Sven as a “graduate” of the program, adding that for him, she’s mom. He was very small when he was rescued, and despite having learned to forage and develop relationships with deer in the wilderness, he continues to return to the property, often bringing his new friends along for the grub.

Shortly after their rescue, usually just a few days at most, and once they recognize Jessica as their primary caretaker, fawns are put outside to free roam on her property while still being fed deer feed. It is at this time too that they begin to use their instincts to forage and become exposed to other deer residents. Jessica described how Sven gradually took Steve and Max under his wing, introducing them to the other two members of his herd, and how the two fawns soon became part of it.

In three to four months time, Steve refused his bottle, initiating the final stage of his rehabilitation: self-release. When I asked about her emotional attachment to the fawns, Jessica answered like a true wildlife rehabilitator: she’s just happy when the process is a success.

For every one hundred fawn intakes this year, only three to four were “fawn-napped,” her term for fawns that were mistakenly rescued while their mom was away foraging for food. This is often the result of people finding them near their front door or other places with high human traffic. Jessica explained that deer will leave their fawns in these areas because they know that predators usually steer clear of humans. To combat these kidnappings, she usually stays on the phone with callers explaining this behavior, and will often put off acting on the call in favor of allowing a doe time to return to her baby. The motto here is, “If you have to chase em’, they’re probably fine to begin with!”

In Steve’s case, his mom most likely hung around long enough to see if her fawn would exhibit enough strength to get up but realized that he was too hurt. In cases like this, a doe’s instinct is to keep moving in order to survive or to hide somewhere nearby and keep watch.

Although Sven may stop visiting once rutting (mating) season is in full swing, for the time being, he and his herd (now including Steve and Max) still return to their place of refuge regularly. They know they will always find both food and sanctuary with Jessica, who began running the fawn rehabilitation from her property due to construction back in 2024. Construction has since been completed at Pocono Wildlife, where fawns have been rehabilitated for nearly thirty-four years. However, Jessica had such success on her large property, surrounded by farmland, that the decision was made to keep the fawn rehab there for the foreseeable future.

For Jessica, a lifelong animal lover who has been providing room and board to animals in need since childhood – much to her parents’ dismay growing up – this is the most fulfilling kind of work. Despite not being able to remember the last time she was able to take a vacation, she had the following to say:

“This work requires a lot of full-on dedication-and I’m always on shift.

I’m lucky I’m able to do it.”

As for Steve the fawn, we were informed that he visited Jessica just the other day, along with Sven and their little herd, his unmistakable waddle giving him away again.

For more information about the incredible work being done by The Wilderz at Pocono Wildlife, as well as instructions on what to do if you have a wildlife emergency, or how to make a donation, and even volunteer, visit: https://poconowildlife.com/

Steve the Fawn

By Maria Pashos

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