Man and dogs helping to hand rear baby deer in Devon

Milly explores the field where she now lives with Mr Hopper, his dogs and other rescued animals

A fawn "mistakenly" rescued from the wild has made an unlikely friendship with two German Shepherd dogs.

Milly was thought to be a day old when she was brought in to a vets in Moretonhampstead, Devon, by someone who believed the deer had been abandoned.

As the vets believed Milly's mother would not take her back after contact with humans, the fawn was put in the care of animal rescuer Steve Hopper.

She has set up home with Mr Hopper and his dogs and is now "thriving".

Milly has made herself at home with Mr Hopper and his family

Mr Hopper said he usually rehabilitated injured birds of prey including kestrels and owls.

He has three deer of his own and was asked by Moorgate vets if he could try to save the baby deer.

"They [deer experts] said at that age the chances of it surviving are pretty slim so don't hold your hopes," Mr Hopper explained.

The former police sergeant has been bottle feeding Milly four times a day in a bid to build her strength.

"I rang Pennywell [Farm] and they've been truly fantastic. Everyday I go up with a four-pint milk thing and come back with milk fresh out of the goat and she is absolutely thriving on it."

Mr Hopper with Milly and one of his two German Shepherd dogs

He said does would hide their young in long grass where the fawn slept until it was fed later.

"Just because you find a young doe curled up in the grass doesn't mean it's been abandoned. It's been put there by its mother," he said.

Keeping Milly alive has been a full time job for Mr Hopper.

"I'm suffering from sleep deprivation. I'm up at five most mornings to feed her and her last feed is 9.30 at night."

Milly is bottle fed four times a day with goat's milk from nearby Pennywell Farm

Mr Hopper said his two dogs, Bear and Fox, have been helping to "mother" Milly.

"They'll groom her all over with the tongue and they'll have playtime with her and race around the field - that has to be seen to be believed, full German Shepherd speed with the deer in front or behind of them depending which way they're going."

He said the relationship between the dogs and the deer was not usual and added that dog walkers should keep dogs on leads around wild animals.

Milly is often groomed by Fox and Bear the German Shepherds

As a result of her start in life, Mr Hopper said Milly would not be able to be released back into the wild.

Ashley Rubens, from Moorgate Vets, said: "Sadly it was mistakenly believed the fawn was abandoned and it was taken from where it had been hidden and brought to us.

"We judged it was very unlikely that the mother would stay after the fawn was taken, or accept it back after being handled by people, so we had to make the decision to contact Steve to take it in."