A newborn deer refused to leave her human hero’s side after he saved her from drowning in a lake in his backyard in Grantville, south of Atlanta.

Tony Morse first spotted the fawn and its mother running through his backyard Wednesday. As the mother went into the woods, the fawn jumped into the water.

Although the fawn could swim at first, she started to struggle to stay above water and couldn’t find her way out of the lake. Morse ran to the shore and pulled the fawn to safety.

From that point on, the newborn refused to leave his side.

Morse could hear the mother deer calling for its newborn from the woods. He walked the fawn from the lake to the edge of the woods and left her there hoping that, in his absence, the mother deer would come out for it.

When Morse returned, the fawn was gone but there were deer tracks in the area, leading him to believe the mother and newborn were reunited.

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman