Orphaned baby bunnies stowed away in skid of garden mulch

These baby bunnies are only a few days old. They were found in a nest that had been built in a skid of garden mulch at a nursery farm. The mother obviously didn't realize that she was having her babies in a very unfortunate spot. The skid of mulch was loaded onto a truck and was transported to a large garden center at a big box store near Oakville, Ontario. The poor mother stayed with her family and she was on the skid but did not survive the trip.Show more

The skid of mulch was unpacked at the destination and the awful discovery was made. The babies were now orphans and they were in need of some food very quickly. Luckily, one of the store employees was willing to take the little bunnies home and care for them.

The babies are being fed milk-replacer to keep them nourished and hydrated until they can be placed with a proper rehabilitation center. It is hoped that the bunnies will grow and then be released back into the wild. Simply leaving them to fend for themselves would mean certain death for the bunnies as they have not even opened their eyes and cannot fend for themselves. They would be unable to feed themselves or keep warm. Their end would be slow and painful.

Raising such tiny and vulnerable animals requires a lot of time and effort. They will need to be fed every two to three hours. Their bedding will need to be kept clean as will their back ends. Mother rabbits in the wild have a full time job caring for their young. When these rabbits are stronger and more mobile, the job will be even harder as they will need more supervision. It's a true labor of love to help such needy and vulnerable animals.

Although their success and ability to be released to live as wild rabbits is uncertain, it is heart warming to see people willing to put forth such an effort to raise these helpless creatures. But looking at their adorable little faces, it's hard to imagine doing anything less.