A white-tailed doe chose Dr. Howard Anneken's manicured backyard on Superior Drive in Fort Mitchell's Sunnymeade neighborhood as her delivery room on Aug. 10, giving birth to a fawn around 9:30 a.m. while Anneken watched from his window and recorded the scene on his phone.
The doe settled into the yard, delivered, then spent hours cleaning the newborn and nudging it to stand. It took several tries. The fawn was wobbly but determined, finally finding its legs after repeated gentle nudges from its mother. By about 3 p.m., the pair had moved to the edge of the lawn and disappeared into the woods behind the property, the NKY Tribune reported.
Anneken made no sudden moves during the hours-long process, observing quietly through his window as the mother and fawn bonded on his lawn, which backs up to a wooded area that gave the doe a clear escape route.
A growing pattern across Kenton County
The backyard birth fits a broader trend. Deer sightings are increasing across Northern Kentucky as construction and development push the animals out of wooded habitats and into suburban yards in search of food, the Tribune noted. The animals also pose a road hazard, particularly during mating season, when they dash across streets in heavily wooded neighborhoods.
Kenton County Animal Control has reported a rise in calls from residents finding fawns alone in their yards. In guidance posted on Facebook in May 2025, Kenton County Animal Services offered five tips for neighbors who encounter a young deer:
- Observe from a distance. Fawns are often left alone for hours while the mother feeds nearby.
- Leave it where it is. Don't move it unless it's in immediate danger.
- Don't touch it. Human scent can attract predators or cause the mother to reject the fawn.
- Check for signs of distress. Bleeding, nonstop crying, cold skin or unresponsiveness mean the fawn may need help.
- Call a wildlife rehabilitator. Don't try to care for the fawn yourself. Find a licensed rehabber through the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife's website.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service echoes that advice: a fawn found alone is almost certainly not abandoned. Mother deer leave their young for extended periods while foraging and return to nurse. Residents should leave the area quietly and contact a rehabber or state wildlife agency before moving any deer that appears injured.
What's ahead in the community
- Thursday, Aug. 13 — Crestview Hills City Council meeting
- Friday, Aug. 21 — Beechwood High School's Second Annual Tiger Pigskin Pigroast
