LAKEPORT, Calif. – A horse is a horse, of course, was once the introduction to a popular television series.

But there are deer who think they are goats or sheep, according to Dr. Susan Cannon, doctor of veterinary medicine at Wasson Memorial Veterinary Clinic in Lakeport.

That's not as funny as it seems. In fact, such delusions for wild animals frequently lead to fatal results.

The delusion occurs when deer or other animals are taken out of their natural habitat during infancy and raised in unnatural surroundings in which they fail to develop a sense of danger, Cannon explained.

"A deer that has no fear of human beings or house pets that thinks it's a sheep or a goat is going to get hurt," said Cannon. "It's going to go into people's yards and destroy their garden. The people are going to get mad. So people who pick up wild animals don't realize they aren't doing these animals any favors.

"People are kind-hearted. They can't stand to see a little animal distressed," Cannon added. "Sometimes they'll find a baby bird and they go online to find out what to feed it. They raise them and then what you have is an adult bird that has no fear of humans, and invariably a cat or a dog ends up killing them."

This issue has arisen as it does every year during the spring season because spring is a time when people are most apt to find a baby bird seemingly alone on the ground, or a tiny jackrabbit all by itself in tall grass with its mother nowhere in sight.

"The same with a baby fawn," Cannon observed. "People they see them by themselves and assume that their mother has left them. Sometimes that's true, but the majority of people are too quick to pick them up and take them someplace.

"There are times when they are endangered. They fear that the baby animal is going to get eaten by a dog roaming the neighborhood or run over by a car. If people find an animal in these circumstances, the first thing to do is not grab it up and start handling and taking it away from its normal state," said Cannon. "The first thing to do is call somebody who has some information, like a rescue center."

Frequently people who have found wildlife that appears to be in danger call Wasson or Clearlake Veterinary Clinic, a similar facility.

"Physically we are a veterinary clinic not a rehab center like they have in some counties," Cannon explained. “Mostly what we do here is somebody reports an injured animal to animal control. On a single day recently we got a baby crow, a baby raccoon and a baby rabbit. Week before that we got a baby great horned owl."

Last year, Wasson took in 230 wildlife cases, mostly birds. There were hawks, owls and others of all species. There were also raccoons, rabbits, even mice.

Cannon provides a set of commonsense rules for what to do if you find a small animal or bird that is seemingly all alone.

– In the case of fawns, their mother takes them into a bush while she goes out to graze. Then she comes back. If there is reason to believe the fawn is abandoned, leave it alone and give the mother at least 12 hours to come back. If fawns look healthy and are not in any immediate danger it's better for the animal to be left where it is. They have a much better survival rate If they are raised in nature by their parents.

– Because young birds can't fly very well, do not assume that they are either orphaned or abandoned and take them away. It's natural for most birds to leave the nest before they are capable flyers and their parents continue to feed them on the ground for weeks. This year, during a severe windstorm, several baby birds have been blown out of their nests or they were jostled out.

– It's best not to pick up baby animals, such as baby jackrabbits. Their parents forage for food at night and feed them, then leave them tucked away in the grass during the day. If the animal – birds, rodents, bunnies, etc. – has been caught by a cat, yes, pick them up; they need to be safe. But any small animal that has been picked over by a cat is likely to need antibiotics.

– Remember that almost every animal is protected by law. It is unlawful to shoot, trap or confine most of the undomesticated animals, whether it's a blackbird, a rat, a squirrel or a deer. Even bats, who, if you're a rancher may have a colony in your barn, are protected. Hawks suspected of killing chickens cannot be shot except when caught in the actual act of attacking livestock. Some animals that are not native to the area, such as opossums, are not protected, said Cannon.

Wasson functions as a clearinghouse for the animals and birds that are brought there, Cannon said.

"We evaluate them and ship them to a rehab facility in Santa Rosa," Cannon explained. "Most of the birds of prey, raptors especially, go to Santa Rosa because we don't have a flight cage. You can't believe how many hawks we get in here because they've been shot with a BB gun.

"We do have local volunteers who take care of certain species," she added. "Like a woman who takes care of possums. But each species has its own requirements, so you need to get familiar with the animals."

Sadly, there are hard cases, such as the occasional raptor that must be euthanized because it does not respond to treatment and will never fly again.

"If a hawk can't fly it spends the rest of its days sitting on a perch and it's not a very dignified way for a big bird to live,” said Cannon.

Email John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .