Written by Amy Barton
This rescue story has both a very happy and a sad ending. It began last Wednesday evening around 5pm. Our naturalist Tiffany was leaving our Nature Center building when she saw two out of place fuzzy animals near our parking lot. Upon closer inspection she determined that they were domesticated little white bunnies!
Our staff knew the only way these little white bunnies could be here is if they were abandoned and that they would not survive in the wild. The next morning, a rescue mission ensued and several members of our staff spent hours coaxing the bunnies out of the bushes with treats.
Finally one dirty, frightened and wet bunny hopped towards us and accepted our pleas to rescue him. Later in the day he was happily warming himself in a fleece blanket and nibbling on carrots as you can see in the photo above. He has since been adopted by Tiffany, our staff member who first spotted him. She named him Berry because she found him hopping around in a berry patch by the Arboretum parking lot.
Domesticated pets are not fit to live in the wild and should always be taken to a humane society before left outside. If you see anyone abandoning an animal, or if you see an out of place animal that you think might be a domestic pet, remember to call your local humane society or animal control. In a quick poll between the staff members who have worked here over the years, they have rescued chickens, bunnies, a tortoise, domestic turtles, dogs, and more from our grounds!
