Fawns are very close to my heart. My father often cared for orphaned fawns on our property in Montana -- he had a kind heart like that. When I found a fawn curled up in my father’s cabin just days after he had perished in a wildfire, it became a symbol of my dad’s love and the soothing fact that life goes on. I was crushed when the baby deer was taken away by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) and exterminated.

FWP policy dictates that all orphaned deer who can’t be returned to the wild must be killed.The fawn I was caring for was still in the wild, I just made sure she had food and water while she grew there. It’s no different than all the other deer that come onto our 20-acre property.

I started this petition after watching this healthy animal get taken away to be exterminated. It’s a horrific blanket policy that must change, and I’m calling on FWP to do so immediately.

FWP has this policy in place because a disease called Chronic Wasting Disease found in deer and elk is spreading across the US. Although they have not detected the disease in Montana, they are still killing orphaned deer. The policy also forbids wildlife rehabilitation centers from caring for these animals. This means an orphaned deer has one fate: death.

This petition is important to me, not just to help these animals, but to do something good in the memory of my father. I hope you will join me in calling on the FWP to adopt a more compassionate and common-sense policy toward orphaned fawns.