Tonight I stopped by my in-law's house just for a minute...and ended up staying a lot longer. As I got there, their stinkin' cat comes up to me with the tiniest baby bunny that he had plucked out of it's nest. Why do these things always happen to ME?! I got the rabbit away from the cat, and it appeared to be okay - no evidence of blood or puncture wounds. I called a vet who told me if the rabbit is bigger than 3 inches and it's eyes are open, it could live on it's own, so put it out somewhere in the woods. The way she said "could" was not very convincing. So, I picked up the rabbit, which was maybe just 3 inches or barely over. It was so young, borderline feeble, uncoordinated and vulnerable, that I had doubts it had ever been out of it's den. Just the fact that it didn't even flinch when I picked it up showed me how young, scared, and disoriented it was. I agonized what to do with it for a good hour. Finally, I decided I would put it in a box and take it to a vet that rehabs wildlife in the morning. I drove half way home, and it looked so unhappy and scared. It actually started to get a tiny bit feisty, which was a good sign in a way. So, I drove back to my in-laws where I found it and put it on the edge of their pachysandra plants. Again, the rabbit just sat there frozen in wide-eyed shock. It's so cold out tonight, too - maybe only 35-40 degrees. In my heart, I feel there's only a 10-15% chance this thing will survive on it's own. But, I couldn't take it out of it's surroundings for the one night that there might be a slight chance it's mother might find it or it might find it's way back to the den somehow. I feel so bad about this rabbit that I know I'm not going to sleep good tonight. I just feel completely awful, and no matter what I had decided to do, I would have felt it was the wrong decision.
I know how you feel, Gina. Our dog used to bring us rabbits all the time. We would try to raise them, but they always ended up in the pet cemetery in short order. I would like so much to come in here and alleviate all your worst fears, but we're all grown up here, and I think if I'm going to say anything at all it would be that you did the realistic thing. If that rabbit survives it WILL be on its own. Even our domestic rabbits often killed or abandoned their young if we touched them, and wild ones are even worse. But of course the cat touched it first, and you gave it the only chance it had, as the cat would have killed it eventually. Don't be sad, Gina. There are many more rabbits where that one came from. I tried to nurse a house finch back to health last summer, and after a lot of heartache and care it died one night when I had it at work. Nature will always take its course, whether we like it or not. I know how big your heart is, and I feel sad for you tonight. Just be glad a cat doesn't pick up one of your kids and bring them to a giant rabbit! Sorry for the analogy, but at least you know there are three spirits who should come out all right and be safe in your care, like it was meant to be.
Yep, you're right, Kirby. It's all I thought about all night long, and it still pains me to think of that little baby this morning. You know how sad it is to see that. If I thought for a second it would still be in those pachysandras, I'd go back there right now and get it. I've come across lots of baby bunnies, too, and every time I brought one to the vet, they always say that wild rabbits, even totally healthy ones, are the hardest to raise because they are so extremely sensitive that they often die. Why couldn't it be a stringy old decrepit rabbit? Why does it have to be a tiny baby? I hate nature. Now that cat knows where the den is, and he's going to get them all, one at a time. They always do.
Well, Gina, there is one point to be made here. I did say "Nature will take its course." Unfortunately, loose house cats running around in the woods is NOT nature. I enjoy animals, but irresponsible cat owners letting their cute little kitties run around and wreak havoc on songbirds and other wildlife is not, in my mind, "Nature." But don't prod me any further on my thoughts on this subject. I know there are cat lovers lurking here.... :)
Gina,I once raised a baby wild rabbit since I used to work for a veterinarian. It got to be pretty big before it started hopping all over the place. I finally let it loose. It was a pretty reddish brown male. When it was small, I fed it canned milk you buy from the veterinarian to feed newborn kittens with (this is what the vet recommended) an eyedropper and kept it warm until it's eyes opened up. It sure could jump high and fast! Anyway, here's a link in case you ever find another bunny.
Wup, here we go. You almost had me feeling a little better with your sincerity, Kirby, and then you had to go and push it about the cats. :) I might have to just come through this computer screen and sock you one. heh heh. By the way, I saw the last half of Will Penny last night, and the ending was stupid. Am I to believe that Charleton Heston was such a Manly-Man that he couldn't stay with that woman and kid? It was good up until that point. (I know I just opened a can of worms..)
Hi Anonymous - Thanks for the tip. I just checked that website out. Judging by what it says, I'm going to guess that little bunny was about 3 - 3 1/2 weeks old. It said they should be released at 4-6 weeks, so maybe there's a shred of hope. Of course, my father-in-law called me today to say he saw it hopping around the yard, but I know he made it up so I would feel better. Funny, the whole time I had that little rabbit in my hands, I kept thinking, "Rich is just gonna love this one.." After seeing his family in action, I know where he gets it from. They didn't want to even look at it. Although, I will give him credit, because he did get a live bat out of their house once.
Well, I'd better go now and check out this big Easter chocolate zit on my chin. I knew it would catch up to me eventually... :)
Hi Gina,
That's a hard one. I don't know what I'd do. We had some
domestic rabbits once and had to raise the first litter (?) by hand. Of the 4 babies I think only one made it. They were so tiny and helpless. We fed them with doll baby bottles. There was one little male and he would get so excited when he ate that he peed all over the place. I even took them to work with me because they had to eat so often. Of course it was pretty hard when they didn't make it but sometimes it is all about trying to do the right thing and you did.
Linda
Thanks, Linda. It was hard to put that rabbit down and walk away. I want so much to believe it beat the odds.
You must have had a very understanding boss when you were raising your rabbits. It is sad when they don't make it. Like Kirby, I raised a baby Robin when I was a teenager. I had it all summer, and it was just about full grown and doing great. It was extremely intelligent and docile and tame. Then, I tried to release it, and a cat got it. It was too trusting. Was I ever bummed, and naive, too. Life isn't like a Disney movie. When you undertake something like that, it's for good. You have to be prepared to keep that animal if it's not wild enough to make it on it's own. I'll never understand how those cameramen on the Discovery Channel can stand by and watch a baby animal get lost and separated from it's mother, and then later get eaten by some other animal without intervening, because they're "letting nature take it's course". Everybody should get a second chance.
I agree Gina. How they can just "keep the cameras rolling" is beyond me. I know.......survial of the fitest and all of that but man I don't think I could ever be that tough. Before anyone (Kirby) starts a lecture on man interferring with nature........I know in my mind that's true but my heart keeps getting in the way.
Oh, don't listen to Kirby about nature :) Taking cold medication is interfering with nature, too, but we do it. I'll tell ya, yesterday I was at the store, and a van full of severely handicapped children in wheelchairs came in with their nurse aides. Some were in a comatose state and were staring off into space, and some of them were so young like pre-school. It was absolutely heartwrenching to see. It made me feel silly for carrying on so much about that little bunny. But even so, I still will react the same to the next helpless wild creature I find. Do you think there's an afterlife for animals?
Of course there is an afterlife for animals. I mean if there are no animals in heaven who would want to go there.
Linda
Oh yeah Gina my boss was so great about the bunnies. I worked with a bunch of guys and it was so funny to see these big macho guys coming in at feeding time to help give the babies their milk.
Now how could I not respond to this!?! Obviously, you girls don't know me as well as you think you do. If I were filming those Discovery shows I would be the first one to drive over there and chase off the hyenas killing the baby rhino, or what have you. I'd only like to know where anyone who knew me could get an idea that I would be otherwise. (You can also bet I'd be the first one plugging that neighbor's cat for killing my bluebirds--generally just for fun!)
Of course, I guess in that "perfect" world that would mean all of the predators had to die, which of course includes you know who ..... homo sapiens!
Most of the 'killing' scenes in Discovery type nature documentaries are filmed using very powerful telephoto lenses. The photographers wouldn't put their own lives in danger by filming a few feet away from ravenous hyenas etc. So intervening isn't much of an option and to be honest defeats the point of filming nature in the wild.
Nature is often cruel, but it's designed so that the strong survive. It makes sense. To have a herd of weak gazelles would mean death for the entire herd. If the lions catch the slowest or weakest the stronger members of the herd breed stronger gazelles. If no gazelles are caught then the lions die. Lions must breed fast, strong lions in turn. The 'circle of life'.
A few years ago I was walking to my local 'Tesco' supermarket in England and a seagull dropped from the sky and landed in the road a few feet from me. It was quite a shock to me and the bird!
A seagull is a large and quite heavy bird as I learned when I picked it up. I was wondering what to do with it. It was obviously stunned but appeared okay otherwise, so I place it under a tree until it recovered its senses.
When I returned from shopping it was no longer under the tree so I assumed it flew away. I looked to see if it was lying nearby but it appeared to have left the scene entirely.
However a few days later I noticed lots of white bird feathers etc floating around the ground near where I placed the seagull. They looked like seagull feathers and I've always wondered if a cat attacked the bird while it was under the tree recovering. And I always think I should have done more to keep the bird safe.
Paul, I guess you can say that seagull took a "tern" for the worst. Or, maybe he decided to get the flock outta there. Maybe he moved to the bay and became a bay-gull (get it - bagel) Okay, enough of that :) I'm sorry to make light of your seagull story. Like Linda said about the rabbit, I think you did the right thing, even though the right thing doesn't seem like nearly enough to you in retrospect. I know how you feel. If an animal got it, it was more likely a dog than a cat. A seagull is much too big for a cat to attempt. Maybe Kirby the cat lover would like to elaborate on people who let their dogs run wild all over the place :)
Hey, can you believe it's overcast here tonight? I'm gonna check for the meteors anyway, just in case.
Hey Kirby, I really was just kidding. I know you are a soft touch for animals but I also think you are a realist and understand the balance of nature. I know that it is necessary to have a "food chain" and man has totally screwed up most of that balance. Anyway didn't mean to upset you BUT I did get your attention. :)
I know you were kidding. I wasn't offended. I know it's hard to read "tone of voice" into the typed word! As it is, though, there is a reason I'm not a wildlife chronicler. I couldn't stand the sight of nature taking its course, so I'm better off not being there. I would not stand in its way if I were there, as the world has been screwed up many times over when man stepped in to stand up for the weak animals. Take the little island in Florida where white tail deer were no longer allowed to be hunted. Now they're all dead of starvation. With no animal predators, and no longer hunted by man, they overpopulated the island and wiped themselves out.
Look at the rabbits in Australia (and other animals), the starling, grackle, and house sparrow in the States. To say nothing of all the plants good-meaning but imbecilic individuals brought in. When man interferes with God's plans, things go awry. It will always be that way. Enough said!
....Of course, I guess in that "perfect" world that would mean all of the predators had to die, which of course includes you know who ..... homo sapiens!
When I was reading this post, I thought for a second that you were gonna say homo sexuals :)
Oh man. I'd better go. It's been a long day. heh heh.