AN orphaned baby deer that was found wandering alone in a road has been taken in by animal lovers at Dorset’s Farmer Palmer’s farm park.

The days-old roe deer was brought in by a concerned member of the public who discovered her while driving through Organford.

John Snelling, a retired wildlife officer for Dorset Police and husband of Farmer Palmer’s director Sandra, returned to the area where the fawn was found but there was no sign of its mother. The body of a deer that had been dead a few days was later found nearby, and it is believed this was the calf’s mother.

Despite her sad start to life, the baby deer, who has been named ‘Bambi’, is now settling in at the home of Sandra’s brother, Phillip, aka Farmer Palmer.

Although the farm park keeps a herd of red deer, Sandra and Phillip have decided it would be best for the young roe to ‘buddy up’ with a baby goat first.

“She’s about a week old now and she’s alert and brave. She likes to nuzzle into your hair,” Sandra said.

“Her forever home will be with us. The plan is to partner her with a goat as the deer herd wouldn’t accept her. When she’s ready, we’ll introduce her to the public. We’re getting advice from the place we got our red deer from.

“To find a baby deer stood in the road on its own is unusual as they’re normally hidden in the grass, undetectable, so mum can go off and come back. She wouldn’t have survived left on her own, with no concept of roads.”

In the meantime, ‘Bambi’ is enjoying a room in Phillip’s house to herself.

“She’s got peace and quiet, and we’re painstakingly putting in the time to bottle feed her. She won’t be massive when she’s fully grown – about the size of a Bernese Mountain Dog.”