Heartbreaking Tragedy: Mother Deer Dies from Birthing Complications After Deputies Heroically Deliver Her Twin Fawns

The mother deer was rescued when Kentucky officers found the animal in labor giving birth to fawns

The mother deer who was rescued by officers in Bowling Green, Kentucky while giving birth to twin fawns has died.

On Tuesday, Warren County Sheriff’s Office deputies and animal control officers responded to a resident’s call about a female deer lying in their backyard for two days and discovered the animal was distressed and in labor.

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On Wednesday, Wild 4 Life, a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center, confirmed they received the mother deer and her newborns and shared an update to Facebook regarding the doe.

“Unfortunately, mama didn’t make [it] despite my efforts to save her,” Lori Dawson, who runs the organization, wrote on Facebook.

 

“Fawns are normally born late May or early June,” the post added, emphasizing their fragile state being born so late in the season. “No one has fawn this size so they need each other.”

“I am praying they both make it,” the post concludes.Dog Rescued After Being Stranded on Second Floor Balcony by ‘Out of Town’ Owner, Officials Say

In subsequent updates on Facebook, Dawson shared that she was able to secure goat milk to feed the newborns. She tells PEOPLE that “one is thriving.” She says the other is still not eating a lot, but that she “still has hope.”

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office detailed their rescue efforts in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

After the dramatic delivery, the mother deer was checked over and given water via a syringe to keep her hydrated. The fawn siblings were fed bottles of milk.

The trio was later taken to Wild 4 Life. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office shared that they provided the mother doe some medical treatment, and, at the time, she was showing signs of improvement.

“The baby deer starts to cry, and our hearts begin to melt and not a second later, he just comes out of the drain holding this sweet baby deer that looks like it could be just merely days old,” Kim Brandwin, who captured a video of the rescue, told the news outlet.

“It was, at first, heart-wrenching, and I was definitely holding back all of my tears,” Brandwin added. “Then, when I actually realized I was videoing something actually spectacular, it felt heartwarming.”