Where are displaced animals supposed to live? Because their natural habitats are disappearing, they are sharing our yards and parks more every day.

For the last several years, we have encountered wild animals in our yard on almost a daily basis. That made it necessary to learn how to interact with these animals. We have had individual deer, does with fawns, and little groups of five or six deer in our yard looking for food and water. They come all year long, no matter the season.

The deer are adorable, look harmless, and do not seem to fear humans. You can take photographs of them and enjoy watching their little ones at play. They seem to tolerate our presence if we do not get too close to them or try to touch them.

But, for the safety of our children, they need to understand the difference between a wild animal and a pet.