Officer Reunites Baby Deer With Mother In Highland Park

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ — On Tuesday of this week, someone found a baby deer, picked the animal up and brought it to Highland Park Police headquarters.

Highland Park Police said this was not the appropriate thing to do, as the deer was now separated from its mother. However, Humane Law Enforcement Officer Alaina Giles was able to reunite the fawn with its mother later that same day.

"While the community member was trying to be compassionate, handling wildlife is never a best practice. Ninety nice percent of the time the mother deer will come back for the fawn that was left by itself," police wrote on their Facebook page Wednesday. "Late spring is the time of year when Mother Nature welcomes many new babies into the world ... Highland Park is home to many deer. If you happen to come across a fawn lying by itself in the grass, please do not pick the fawn up or call the police department. It is common behavior for mother deer to leave their fawns in areas they feel are safe in order to come retrieve the fawns later."

The resident brought the fawn, which police named "Freckles," to Highland Park Police. Officer Giles was able to reunite the fawn with its mother, but police did not say how.