Rare triplet fawns were perfect gift
Ken Leinbach of Milwaukee turned 58 on Thursday.
While the number isn’t typically considered a “milestone” birthday, Mother Nature made sure it was one he’ll never forget.
About noon Thursday, Leinbach, executive director of the Urban Ecology Center, noticed fourlegged movement on the western rim of the Milwaukee River corridor a couple miles north of downtown Milwaukee.
The stretch is a tree-lined oasis in the shadow of Wisconsin’s largest city. Dozens of native wildlife species call the area home and many others use it as a travel highway and migratory rest stop.
At midday Thursday, indigo buntings and rose-breasted grosbeaks, recently returned from their winter habitats, brightened the greenery.
As is his nature, Leinbach reveled in each sighting.
But what emerged from the shadows of trees just west of the river really set the day apart.
It became clear the birds weren’t the only new arrivals.
As Leinbach watched from inside a building, an adult female white-tailed deer carefully
stepped into dappled sunlight and stopped at the edge of a lawn.
The doe wasn’t alone. In seconds, she was joined by first one, then two, then three tottering fawns.
“I was totally amazed,” Leinbach said. “The fawns were so tiny and just learning to walk.”
Leinbach estimated the doe had given birth in just the last hour or two.
He turned on the video function of his smartphone to help preserve the moment.
The doe can be seen cleaning the fawns, plucking some mouthfuls of food and at one point snapping to alert as it noticed movement from behind.
Deer are pretty common in the Milwaukee River valley and the Milwaukee County Parks System. It’s also not unusual to see a doe with one or two fawns in the area.
But how about triplets?
When it comes to white-tailed deer, twins are the norm.
Deer have a two-horned uterus which allows the bearing of twins quite easily, said Jeannine Fleegle, deer and elk biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Since they are from separate eggs, they are fraternal, not identical, twins.
The number of fawns does vary, though, due to factors such as age, health and size of the doe.
Researchers in a white-tailed deer reproduction study in northern Illinois examined 1,924 adult does from 2003-13. They found litter size ranged from one to five fawns per pregnant adult female, with the average of 1.9.
Of the adult does that were pregnant, 77% had twins, 12% had singles, 9% had triplets and 1% had quadruplets. One case (less than 1%) of quintuplets was also observed.
The condition of the doe Leinbach spotted appeared to be very good. She also exhibited good survival behavior, including eating the placenta to help avoid tipping off the location to predators.
“We had a nature film taking place
right outside the window,” Leinbach said. “Pretty cool.”
Whitetail fawns attempt to stand and take their first steps within minutes of birth, according to deer expert and author Charles J. Alsheimer in GameKeepers: Farming for Wildlife.
To stay one step ahead of predators, a doe will move her fawns shortly after birth and constantly relocate them during the first few weeks, Alsheimer said.
The fawns are left alone for long periods of time, but the doe is typically close. The doe returns to nurse the fawn several times a day.
To enhance survival, a doe may also force her fawns to bed apart, according to Alsheimer.
Once fawns are old enough and strong enough to run with the doe, typically after several weeks of growth, they will stay with her around-the-clock.
The triplet sighting in Milwaukee is on the leading edge of Wisconsin whitetail births; most are born from mid-May through early June.
It provides an opportunity to pass along an annual reminder: If you see a fawn or other young wild animal this time of year, it’s best to leave it. A parent is likely nearby.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conducts a program called “Keep Wildlife Wild“and offers tips on its website to determine whether an animal needs help.
Also, make sure to give wildlife plenty of space at all times of year.
Leinbach watched through the window for several more minutes as the new family got acquainted. One of the fawns, likely the last born, was smaller and wobblier than the others, he said.
The doe licked the fawns repeatedly. At one point, the doe bedded down; the three spotted fawns circled around.
Leinbach received many birthday wishes Thursday via phone calls and social media.
Thanks to the deer, this year he had a unique, natural way to thank his friends. At mid-afternoon he posted the video of the doe and triplets on Facebook.
“It was the perfect birthday gift as I celebrate my 58th year around the sun,” Leinbach said.