INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Family Of Dogs Protect Fawn Killed By Idaho Wildfire

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 03:51 PST, Aug 21, 2015

A stunning photo has emerged from Idaho, revealing a family of sheepdogs guarding the body of a fawn that was killed as wildfires raged across the state.

The image was taken by Louis Armstrong on Monday, according to the Guardian, as he toured his family’s 300-acre plot. The land had been impacted by a wildfire that tore through the region. As he surveyed the damage, Armstrong spotted his neighbor’s dog, along with her two pups, standing guard over the body of a fawn, which had unfortunately been killed by the fire.

Struck by the unusual sight, Armstrong photographed the dogs as they sat vigil over the fawn’s remains. He noted that he checked back on the animals later, according to the Huffington Post, finding that the dogs remained throughout the day. By nightfall, they continued to ward off any curious people and potential predators interested in the fawn’s body.

“They were definitely trying to protect it,” Armstrong observed. “I thought it was pretty amazing.”

The wildfires in question have impacted the area surrounding Kamiah in northern Idaho, destroying 42 homes. Armstrong noted that due to the protection afforded by strong fire lines surrounding his family’s home, it had been spared from the destruction. Witnessing the dogs standing guard over the fawn, however, made Armstrong note the disparity between the animals’ actions and the surrounding scene.

“It was really kind of moving. It was beautiful given all the destruction.”

Though stunning, the image is hardly the first example of cross-species friendship to come to light this year. In May, a German Shepherd was filmed with a small fawn after making the wild animal’s acquaintance in the woods near her home in North Carolina. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the fawn followed the dog around for more than an hour, apparently having confused the larger animal for another of its own species.

While the fawn in the image from Idaho failed to escape the wildfire, another of its species born earlier this year was far luckier. That fawn was born in a sanctuary but abandoned by its mother due to its unique, piebald coloration. The young deer was adopted by staff at the sanctuary, however, and continues to thrive.

Armstrong noted that the dogs remained with the fawn until sundown, estimating that they spent upwards of 13 hours protecting the young deer.

[Photo by Louis Armstrong via KBOI2]

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