Fawn Masha with collar roams Zabaikalsky Krai and visits people

Fawn Masha, rescued in the summer from a forest fire and raised at a ranger station, has joined her wild relatives but hasn«t forgotten home and comes to visit people. To distinguish Masha from other roe deer, she was given a collar, as reported on January 25 in the Telegram channel »Zapovednoye Zabaikalye«.

«Masha has joined the roe deer living in the Argaleysky Sanctuary, but she still sometimes comes to the ranger station, where she is very welcome. This past weekend, she was fitted with a beautiful collar — to distinguish Masha from the wild deer, who have no understanding of the latest fashion,» the message states.

Volunteers rescued the fawn with burned eyelashes and ear from a forest fire and took her to a zoo. From there, she moved to the Argaleysky Sanctuary, where she found a new mother — the cow Verba — and a nanny — a girl named Masha, who had experience raising roe deer fawns.

The girl«s grandfather — wildlife manager Ivan Fedorov, who has dedicated decades to working in the sanctuary — is the initiator of its creation and the permanent guardian of this territory. On his farm »Zymka«, several dozen Siberian red deer live in semi-wild conditions and breed every year, increasing the population.

Alexander Buzinov, head of the directorate for specially protected natural areas of Zabaikalsky Krai, explained that late spring fires are particularly devastating for animal and bird populations. At this time, all wild animals give birth. Young goats, deer fawns, and moose calves cannot escape and burn alive. Chicks also perish, and often their parents burn with them while trying to protect the brood with their wings.