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27 March 2011

Baby Bunny

   At first, I wasn't sure what it was and I thought it was dead.  Early this morning, not long after sunrise, I happened upon this very young rabbit while recovering my Thermos and fleece I'd left among some low dirt mounds, near the canal where I walk my dogs at sunrise and sunset.  On closer inspection, I realized it wasn't quite dead and that it wasn't a rodent, it was a younger, smaller version of the cottontail rabbits the dogs live to chase (but never catch) in the large empty field adjacent to the canal.
   I don't remember ever seeing such a young bunny.  He's just a tiny version of an adult rabbit, with fur and open eyes.  I removed him from the dirty depression where he lie motionless and cradled him in my hands, handing the other items to Jeannie.  When we got home, she found a shoe box and some soft cloth and made a bed for him.  We let him rest in this safe place away from drafts, temperature extremes and predators while we ate our breakfast.  Later, we tried feeding him some soy milk and some dandelion greens.  He made a little movement and a faint noise, but didn't seem to be interested in the milk.
   I don't know much at all about how to care for rabbits, but Jeannie did some research on the Internet.  Although he's so tiny, it's a good sign that he has fur and that his eyes are open.  We don't know what, if anything, happened to him before we found him.  Did he venture from the nest on his own and fall victim to exhaustion or another creature?  Was he defective and carried from the nest by his mother?  I don't expect him to survive and thrive, but I recently rescued a pigeon from my front yard who'd been stunned or wounded and could only flap a wing and spin in circles.  I didn't expect him to survive either, but the next morning he was better, and he flew away as I released him into the air.  I will do my best for this little rabbit and hope he makes it.
   Some people and animals do not live to be very old.  I don't know why.  I don't know how or why I've lived 54 years.  I don't know how much longer I'll continue to live, but I'm learning to live in each moment and accept it for what it is, not for what I wish it to be.  I'm learning to observe it without judging it as good or bad.
   Baby bunnies are really cute.