Wildlife officials rescue fawn held for weeks in dog crate in Sonoma County

A Sonoma County resident was cited after California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials found a fawn that had been unlawfully captured and confined in a dog crate for more than three weeks. The fawn was taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility for care before release. California law prohibits keeping deer in possession, with violations punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...A Sonoma County resident was cited after state wildlife officials said a fawn https://cslea.com/2026/06/suspect-cited-for-unlawfully-capturing-and-confining-a-deer-fawn/ was taken from the wild and kept in captivity for more than three weeks. According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife news release https://cslea.com/2026/06/suspect-cited-for-unlawfully-capturing-and-confining-a-deer-fawn/ issued Wednesday, June 10, Wildlife Officer Cameron Blechert received a report that several people had been seen taking a fawn and placing it in a cage. When Blechert arrived at the location where the animal was reportedly being kept, he found the fawn inside a dog crate outside a residence, according to the department. The people involved told the officer they found the fawn in the wild and acknowledged keeping it for more than three weeks, officials said. One person was cited on suspicion of unlawfully capturing and confining wildlife. The news release did not specify from where the animal was initially taken, nor where in Sonoma County the deer was relocated. Calls to the department were not immediately returned on Tuesday, June 16. The fawn was taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, where it will be cared for until it is large enough to survive on its own and can be released back into the wild, the Fish and Wildlife officials said. California law prohibits people from keeping deer in their possession. Violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail or both. Wildlife officials said each spring and summer they respond to cases involving fawns that have been removed from the wild to be kept in captivity illegally, or by people who mistakenly believe the animals have been abandoned. The department urged the public to leave young deer where they are found and to contact wildlife officials if they believe a fawn is injured, sick or orphaned. You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at isabel.beer@pressdemocrat.com.