RCMP in northern B.C. arrest car's occupants after finding a baby deer in the back seat

RCMP say they have arrested the occupants of a vehicle in Fort St. John in northern B.C. after discovering a baby deer in their car. 

In a written statement, the Mounties said they pulled over a vehicle during a traffic stop in the early morning hours of June 30 and found a month-old-fawn in the back seat.

Police said after arresting the occupants of the car for possessing wildlife, they searched it and found drugs but did not specify what kind or in what amount.

It is a criminal offence to possess wild animals in B.C., alive or dead, without a licence or permit granted by the province's chief veterinarian.

Fawning season is usually from May until early July when the fawns become more independent of their mothers.

The B.C. SPCA said if you spot a fawn you believe is orphaned, it's best just to leave the animal alone, as it's normal for a doe to leave her offspring for an extended period to search for food.

But if it appears injured or you can see that its parent is dead, it recommends calling the Conservation Officer Service, which can pick the baby deer up and transfer it to a wildlife rehabilitation centre.

The organization cautions against rescuing injured adult deer, as it is difficult to keep them in a captive setting and warns they can be dangerous due to their size and strength. It recommends calling the RCMP or the conservation service in such a situation.

The Fort St. John RCMP says it delivered the captive animal to the Conservation Officer Service. On July 1, the provincial agency transferred it to the Rimrock Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Dawson Creek, about 75 kilometres southeast of Fort St. John.

Rimrock's co-owner Corinna Harvey said the fawn, a young mule deer buck, wasn't injured but had other health concerns.

"He was dehydrated and had digestive issues but will rehab well," she wrote in a Facebook post.

Harvey and her husband co-founded Rimrock as the Peace Region's first-ever wildlife rehabilitation centre two years ago. 

Fort St. John Mounties say they are still investigating and ask anyone with additional information about the incident to call police at 250-787-8100.

People who discover injured or orphaned wildlife are urged to call the B.C. SPCA's provincial call centre at 1-855-622-7722 or the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.