An Okotoks resident woke up to a surprise on Monday morning when a doe had given birth to two fawns in her backyard.
Jennifer Wilson explained that she had seen the doe a couple of times last week around her yard, so when she saw her again, she didn’t think anything of it.
“I went about my day, and a couple of hours later, I was putting dirty dishes in the sink, and I noticed a dark blob next to her,” Wilson said. “It took me a moment to realize it was a baby.”
Wilson ran to grab her phone to take a photo and came back just in time.
“I saw the second baby enter the world,” she said. “By that point, the first one is attempting to stand up, and mom is cleaning off the second one.”
To ensure the family can leave when they are ready, Wilson wired one of the gates on her property open.
“She watched me, and then she just wandered back and now they are hanging around the backyard,” Wilson said. “The babies haven't left the yard. Once in a while, they move around, but I don't think mom has left the yard either.”
She added that the family can have the backyard for the next few weeks.
“I was going to start gardening this week, but this has kind of derailed a lot of those plans because I'm not going to disturb them,” Wilson said.