For the week of  Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2001

Vet saves deer in emergency surgery

Shoshone man fosters fawn

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

When Jimmy Robertson chanced upon a young deer injured in a highway accident Sept. 13, he didn’t realize at first that he was making a new friend.

Sun Valley Animal Center veterinarian Randy Acker operates on a young deer injured in a car accident Sept. 13 north of Ketchum. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Robertson, a Shoshone resident and Wood River Valley carpenter, found the 3-month-old fawn in the north-bound lane of Highway 75 near Hulen Meadows, north of Ketchum. The fawn was badly hurt when it apparently was hit by a passing car.

After appraising the situation, Robertson said he couldn’t abandon the injured animal.

"He was just laying in the road, and I almost hit him," Robertson said. "I just didn’t think he was in that bad of shape. He was just a baby. I couldn’t see him laying there, and I couldn’t see Fish and Game taking him and killing him."

So, Robertson went into action to save the fawn. And, following several hours of surgery that morning at the Sun Valley Animal Center, it is living in Robertson’s back yard and improving in health every day.

But first Robertson had to receive permission from Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials to take the fawn to the Sun Valley Animal Center.

Dr. Randy Acker, a veterinarian, then put his scheduled work aside to tend to the adolescent deer—free of charge.

"This guy doesn’t really have time," Acker said during surgery, comparing the fawn’s mortality to his own work schedule.

Under the care of Shoshone resident Jimmy Robertson, the 3-month-old fawn quickly began to recover after surgery. Express photo by Greg Stahl

The fawn had a broken and dislocated hip, a broken knee cap and a large hernia—all of which Acker repaired that morning. They were procedures that went surprisingly smoothly, he said.

"This deer has had a few breaks today in terms of how his hip went and how his hernia went," Acker said. "He’s a first year student learning about highway crossings, and he failed."

Acker said he enjoys working on wildlife. He’s worked on black bears, wolves, and a golden eagle, among others.

"I like it. I find it rewarding."

Robertson, a self-declared animal lover and a hunter, said the deer is not yet standing, but is getting along surprisingly well.

"He’s eating and drinking and using the bathroom," he said, "so all his organs are working."

Robertson is keeping the fawn in a pen and said he will hang on to him "as long as it takes" to discover what needs to occur next. So far, options include: take the fawn to the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area when it recovers, keep him if he can not get around well, or, put him to sleep if his health does not improve.

"I’m hoping the third one is not even an option," Robertson said.

Should keeping him become a viable option, with Fish and Game’s approval, Robertson said the fawn could become an ambassador for local wildlife by attending community or education-related events.

"It’s kind of opening a new door for me in my life," said Robertson, who added that a few years ago, he would not have stopped to help the deer. "I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hunt anymore."

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.