Not every case that comes before the Ontario County Courthouse involves legal briefs and court filings.
On Wednesday, courthouse staff and visitors found themselves keeping an eye on a much smaller and furrier visitor, a young fawn that spent much of the day resting outside the building’s main entrance.
The tiny deer was discovered curled up against one of the courthouse’s front pillars on Wednesday morning. Rather than disturb the animal, employees and visitors did exactly what wildlife experts recommend: they gave it space and watched from a respectful distance.
As the day went on, the fawn remained calm and appeared perfectly healthy while enjoying its unexpected courthouse accommodations. Before long, the young deer became the talk of the building, with staff and passersby checking in throughout the day to see how the little guest was doing.
Fortunately, the story had a happy ending.
Security cameras captured a doe returning to the courthouse around 9 p.m. Under the cover of evening, the mother and fawn were reunited and safely left the area together.
The encounter served as a gentle reminder that mother deer often leave their fawns alone for extended periods while they forage nearby. In most cases, wildlife officials say, healthy fawns should be left undisturbed unless they appear injured or in immediate danger.
While courthouse employees are accustomed to handling a wide variety of matters, this may have been one of the most heartwarming cases to appear at the courthouse this year.
With mother and baby safely reunited, the courthouse’s brief wildlife drama has officially been adjourned.
