"A doe, a deer, a female deer"

One of the most popular destinations of the Perkins Wildlife Center is the white-tailed deer/wild turkey exhibit. In this naturalistic setting, complete with a waterfall, visitors can get up close and personal with Ohio’s most recognizable wildlife.

A year ago, we were excited to introduce two youngsters to Baby, an adult female, or doe. Although this energetic duo was full of adolescent antics, Baby got along well with them and was quick to show them the ropes. The trio is doing remarkably well, each with their own individual personalities and physical attributes.

Now six years old, Baby displays a rare, but not unheard of condition seen in many species of deer. You see, if you look at Baby, you might assume she is a buck, or male…Baby is sporting antlers, typically only seen in males.

Just like her male counterparts, Baby will grow antlers in the spring and shed them in the winter months following the breeding season, or rut. We anticipate her antlers to get larger each year, so be sure to stop by and see how they have changed from year to year. Despite the fact that one of her antlers is misshapen, they pose no harm to Baby or the other does, as she is a perfectly healthy girl.

Although a species most Ohioans have encountered in their backyard or along the roadside, it has not always been the case; the plight of white-tailed deer in Ohio is one of a number of endangered species success stories. Current estimates place the white-tailed deer population in Ohio around three quarters of a million; however, by the early 1900’s white-tailed deer were extirpated from our state. That means, one hundred years ago, there were no deer in Ohio, hard to imagine. Like all of the animals that call the museum home, Baby, Artemis, and Ginny could not survive in the wild. For some, disease or injury has rendered them non-releasable. The “girls” (as I like to call them) were all orphaned at very young ages and hand-raised, therefore, too dependent on humans to survive in the wild.

So the next time you are at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, be sure to stop by and see Baby, Artemis, and Ginny, three fabulous does.

Robyn Kaltenbach, Senior Wildlife Specialist