Travis Tritt gets surprise visit from the deer his family cared for as an orphaned fawn 3 years ago

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 13, 2022. It has since been updated.

In a rather amusing and sweet video, country singer Travis Tritt shared how a baby fawn who found refuge on his porch on a rainy day years ago, came back to meet him. Sharing their heartwarming reunion on Instagram, the 59-year-old wrote: "He obviously remembered me.” In the video, Tritt can be seen asking the deer, "What's up, buddy? How are you doing?" The deer fearlessly approaches the "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" singer and lets Tritt pet him while reciprocating the affection by licking his human friend's arm.

Tritt wrote: "I was walking around my property tonight and I suddenly received a visit from an old friend. This is Oakley. He was an orphaned deer that my wife bottle-fed and raised from a baby. He used to hang out on our pool deck as a fawn. I had not seen him in over a year until tonight. He obviously remembered me and came right up to me as if he had he had never forgotten who I was and knew I wasn’t a threat to him. Nature is amazing!"

Tritt's 45-acre property often has wildlife visiting them, according to My Modern Met. People on the internet were ecstatic seeing the video. An Instagram user wrote, "I can't wait until you have a story of how he brings his doe to meet your family!" Another commented: "He is gorgeous... stunning. You are a lucky man. What an honor that he remembers you. God bless you, your wife, and Oakley." A third stated, "That touched my heart, I love things like this & knowing that there are still great-hearted people in the world. Thank you, guys, for being that for this beautiful animal."

In a similar story, an elderly woman's daughter brought a deer to meet her mother in her palliative care room in an attempt to cheer her up while her health deteriorated. Lisa McDonald's mother could not contain her happiness and her face lit up. She just looked at the deer and reached out with her hand to touch the fawn. 

Her love for deer is said to stem from the movie "Bambi." Lisa shared: "She has Bambi statues everywhere, she is wearing a Bambi T-shirt in her bed and will be cremated in one too. My sister and I and the rest of the family that is supporting us are also wearing Bambi T-shirts... we are calling them our nursing uniforms."

McDonald and her sister found a couple who had a petting zoo near their house in Melbourne. They contacted them through Facebook and after hearing about their mother, the couple drove out with the animal. She said, “Mum deteriorated quickly today and Simone and Chris didn’t hesitate... they drove two and a half hours to bring Bambi to meet mum. Out of pure love and kindness. I cannot thank them enough for what they have done for my mum and my family."