Nice to meet you, little deer

On my nature-rich walking path, there is a small animal trail right nearby that looks like a tunnel of trees. It is like the hole that Mei passes through when she chases Totoro in the Ghibli film 'My Neighbor Totoro.' It is too narrow for a human adult to pass through.

Whenever I pass by that small tunnel, I always check to see if there are any animals around. The other day, I saw a fawn there for the first time.

There were two fawns, and I could see spots on their small bodies. Deer are not rare animals in this area, and the deer themselves are accustomed to humans; many individuals will continue to eat grass without caring even when people approach. However, the fawns seemed somewhat restless.

What concerned me was that the mother deer did not seem to be nearby. After I got home and looked it up, it seems this is normal.Adult deer have a scent that can be detected by natural predators, but their young do not.Because of this, it seems the mother deer intentionally spends time away from the fawns.

I was impressed to learn that the mother deer was raising her young in such a rational way, something I hadn't known before. It is amazing that they take such actions naturally without being taught.

The tree tunnel where I saw the fawns is right next to the trail that people use. I felt as though I had been taught that in the real world, just like in 'My Neighbor Totoro,' humans and animals (or are they spirits in Totoro?) coexist at an exquisite distance, neither fully intersecting nor fully separated.