Police in northern B.C. seize baby deer during traffic stop

Mounties in northern B.C. recently made an unusual seizure during a traffic stop.

Officers from the Fort St. John RCMP detachment pulled over a vehicle in the early morning hours of June 30 and spotted a baby deer in the back seat, according to a news release issued this week.

Police estimated that the fawn was about one month old.

Officers arrested the vehicle's occupants for possession of live wildlife. They also seized drugs during the incident, police said. They did not specify an amount or specific type of drugs that were seized.

Police turned the deer over to the BC Conservation Officer Service, and said the animal will be taken to Rimrock Wildlife Rehab for care and eventual release.

Both the drug investigation and the BCCOS investigation into wildlife possession are ongoing, RCMP said.

Possession of live wildlife without a licence or permit can result in fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison for a first offence, according to the provincial Wildlife Act.

Conservation officers have urged the public not to become "fawn-nappers," warning in a social media post in late May that they receive calls every year from "well-intentioned people trying to 'rescue' fawns they believe are orphaned." 

"We understand they are cute and appear defenceless, but please be assured it is common for (mother deer) to leave their fawns for hours at a time while they forage for food," the BCCOS said at the time.

"Moving a fawn can result in it not being able to reunite with its mother, thus greatly reducing its chances of survival."