We caught a bunny in our havaheart trap this morning. This bunny belongs to a group of three that appeared in our backyard a few weeks ago. They appear relatively at ease with humans and will only really run from you if chased. Although they have not figured out a way into our vegetable garden, they have been menacing it for a while, so we've been pursuing them when we catch them munching on fallen apples under our tree or frolicking in the freshly cut grass. Unlike the groundhogs, our hearts aren't really dead set on wiping out every sign of their existence, so we've been a little less proactive about catching them. Plus they're a whole lot cuter. Since they were probably pets at one point or another, they seem to be much smarter about avoiding cages than the groundhogs ever were. However, this morning Kerstin and Alden chased one of them under the shed in the backyard where there's an old groundhog burrow. Knowing that this burrow only has two exits, Kerstin set a trap at the mouth of each one and the rabbit had no choice but to enter one. Once ensnared, the rabbit became quite tame and even friendly, accepting the gifts of food that Alden so thoughtfully presented.
Well, almost all the gifts of food, he wasn't interested in the apples today. It's so funny to watch Alden try to get the rabbit to show an interest in his apple -- he does the same thing that we do when we try to get him to eat vegetables. It's the whole maybe-he'll-consider-tasting-it-if-I-approach-from-
this-angle tactic. Never works.
Alden really wanted to touch the bunny's eye, and we had to keep on him to touch only the fur on the back and ears.
After some discussion about what to do with the bunny, we determined it was best to turn it loose in Peacock beach, since no one in the neighborhood has inquired about missing bunnies and they've been living in our backyard for weeks. So the whole family went along this time. Kerstin released the rabbit, who was not interested in exploring his new home and instead froze completely on the grass while we pet him. Clearly some child in our neighborhood is missing Mr Bun-Bun. He was very tolerant of small children.
Alden lost interest in the bunny after a riding mower started up. He's such a boy.
Kerstin was pretty conflicted about the whole thing. He has a special fondness for bunnies. The bunny eventually loped off and hid under our car after being groped for about 10 minutes. Since the little fella didn't seem to be going anywhere, we decided to do a little swimming in the nearby pond. If the bunny was still around when we were ready to go, we reasoned, we'd take him home and adopt him. If not, he'd officially become a member of the colony of rodents we've relegated to the park.
Alden decided the water was fun after some initial trepidation and took us all in much farther than we'd anticipated. He even got over his sand on feet phobia.
When it was time to leave, the rabbit was nowhere to be seen. I guess he made himself at home in the park. Now we just need to capture the other two so he'll have some companions out there on wild banks of Pleasant Pond.
Alden really wanted to touch the bunny's eye, and we had to keep on him to touch only the fur on the back and ears.
After some discussion about what to do with the bunny, we determined it was best to turn it loose in Peacock beach, since no one in the neighborhood has inquired about missing bunnies and they've been living in our backyard for weeks. So the whole family went along this time. Kerstin released the rabbit, who was not interested in exploring his new home and instead froze completely on the grass while we pet him. Clearly some child in our neighborhood is missing Mr Bun-Bun. He was very tolerant of small children.
Alden lost interest in the bunny after a riding mower started up. He's such a boy.
Kerstin was pretty conflicted about the whole thing. He has a special fondness for bunnies. The bunny eventually loped off and hid under our car after being groped for about 10 minutes. Since the little fella didn't seem to be going anywhere, we decided to do a little swimming in the nearby pond. If the bunny was still around when we were ready to go, we reasoned, we'd take him home and adopt him. If not, he'd officially become a member of the colony of rodents we've relegated to the park.
Alden decided the water was fun after some initial trepidation and took us all in much farther than we'd anticipated. He even got over his sand on feet phobia.
When it was time to leave, the rabbit was nowhere to be seen. I guess he made himself at home in the park. Now we just need to capture the other two so he'll have some companions out there on wild banks of Pleasant Pond.
3 comments:
Adorable video. I want to hear more about Kurt's "special fondness" for bunnies. Does it have anything to do with his Chinese zodiac?
Kerstin was born in the year of the Dog, so it's not that, but good guess. Kurt's Mom had a traumatic episode with a bunny as a child. She was given one for Easter and thought it was a pet, but it was cooked and fed to hear months later. Rabbits have since become a symbol for family and strength for Karen and she uses them in her art all the time. She gave Kerstin and me tiny twin pewter rabbits as wedding presents and Kerstin always wears his around his neck.
I was going to post a recipe, but decided it would be insensitive.
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