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Where to get help for baby deer

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Baby deer should receive care from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabilitators are trained to provide care for wild animals. They are licensed to do so by provincial and/or federal governments.

Baby deer need specialized formula, species-specific housing, and medical treatment that you cannot provide at home.  It is illegal to keep any wild animal at home without a permit for longer than 48 hours. Please contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away for help with the baby deer you have found.

Help for baby deer in the GTA

If you have found a baby deer in the Greater Toronto Area, call our Wildlife Hotline at 416-631-0662 or fill out our online form and leave us a message. Our hours are 9am-6pm, seven days a week (yes, even on holidays!).

Some municipalities hold contracts with other wildlife service providers. If you’re a resident of these areas, please use the contact number listed below to request assistance. If you’re wildlife issue remains unresolved, please call our hotline and we will do our best to assist you.

If you are in the City of Richmond Hill, contact Vaughan Animal Services. You can reach them at 905-832-2281 or 1-855-227-7297.

If you are in Aurora, Newmarket, or Georgina, please contact 1-877-979-PAWS.

If the baby you have found is not a deer, please go back to our species selection page. 

Help for other baby wildlife within the GTA

If you have found another species of baby wild animal within the GTA (including Toronto, York Region, Durham Region, and Halton Region), call our Wildlife Hotline at 416-631-0662 and leave us a message. Our hours are 9am-6pm, seven days a week (yes, even on holidays!).

Some municipalities hold contracts with other wildlife service providers. If you’re a resident of these areas, please use the contact number listed below to request assistance.

If you are in Aurora, Newmarket, or Georgina, please contact 1-877-979-PAWS.

If you cannot reach a wildlife rehabilitator right away

Keep trying. Wildlife rehabilitators are very busy, especially during the spring and summer. If you get an answering machine, leave a message and make it easy for them to reach you. Call around to others in the area. Be willing to arrange transportation for the animal once a rehabilitator is found. Remember that there is no government funding for wildlife rehabilitation in Ontario, and all rehabilitators are funded entirely by private donations.

You cannot keep the baby deer or care for it yourself – it needs specialized care that you don’t have the means to provide. Keep it in a cardboard box in a dark, quiet, place. Make sure it has a heat source, like a hot water bottle.  Don’t give it any food or water until you’ve spoken to a wildlife rehabilitator. Further temporary care instructions can be found here.

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