23/03/2024
See a hare, leave it there!
The natural world is a complicated place, and to us humans many baby wild animals don't always grow up the way we may expect them to. Knowing how wild animals raise their young will help prevent separating the babies unnecessarily from their mom.
Take baby snowshoe hares, for example. They are born with all of their fur and their eyes open, and they are able to hop about within hours of being born. During the day, it is normal for the mother hare to leave her young all alone as she needs to find enough food to be able to produce milk to nurse them all for a few weeks - and her continued presence near them would attract the unwanted attention of predators. They will usually find a nice safe place to hide.
It's actually normal to find baby hares by themselves for many hours at a time. Mom will come by to feed them, usually in the evening. Unless they are visibly injured or in distress, or you know for sure the mother is dead, it's best to leave them alone.
Don't handle them! Hares are a prey species, and their defense mechanism is to freeze in place - this makes them seem "friendly" when you are near them. They may even let you handle them - but it's actually very frightening and stressful for them. Hares are very delicate, and that stress could cause them enough harm that they may die as a result.
If you have any questions about hares that you think may be orphaned or need help, call your local wildlife rescue or rehabilitation organization for advice!
