Getting on Their Level
By Emily Cassell
Rabbits are well known for their ability to, well, multiply like rabbits. They are not however, well known for maternal care. Indeed, every spring wildlife rehabbers are plagued with baby bunnies that were “abandoned” and then “rescued” by well-intentioned animal-lovers. One of a mother rabbit’s strategies for protecting her young is to spend very little time with them in an effort to not draw attention to her nest. Does nurse their kits just twice a day, so many people assume that, because momma rabbit is nowhere near the nest they just stumbled upon, the babies have been abandoned. Yes, that’s my little PSA: leave baby bunnies in their nest!…This “paws-off” approach to motherhood also means that mother rabbits don’t pick up and carry their kits. This means that the ONLY time a wild rabbit is picked up is when a predator is doing it. Obviously, it’s not a great feeling. Now, look at your hands. Imagine picking up a rabbit. Can you see how your hands might be a little like teeth? Talons? Can you see why a rabbit might struggle when being picked up? Read more.