I must admit I don't know most of this bunny's story. My first encounter with the black bunny occurred the day of this photograph in December of 2013. I parked my car at one of the many trail heads for Lake Conestee Nature Park. I grabbed my camera gear and went off down the trail toward one of the lake remnants to take some photos of the trees along the lake as the morning sun first struck them. I took photos for an hour or so and headed back to my car to go home.
As I approached my car, I saw it.
A dark little animal was playing around my car. I got closer and saw it was a black bunny, cute as it could be, and obviously someone’s pet who just got tired of it. It didn't seem afraid of me. I took dozens of photos of it as it played in the morning sun, including this one with a perfect pose. Eventually, the bunny hopped off into the woods, so I went home.
The next day I came back to that same trail head and there it was again. I was able to touch it briefly before it scampered back into the trees.
Then I got an idea: next time I'll bring food.
Over the next few days I visited the park every morning. Each time the bunny was within a few feet of the same place, sitting on the edge of the tree-line in some tall grass sunning itself and chewing tender leaves. I fed it carrots or banana; apparently, they were quite a bit tastier than the leaves. The bunny got more and more relaxed around me.
Soon I was petting it while it took food right from my hand. On an especially cold morning I took off my gloves and lay them on the frosty grass. I sat on the gloves. The bunny hopped over to me. I picked it up and placed it in my lap. I cuddled the bunny with my arms and hands for about ten minutes to warm it up a bit. It made no move to escape my lap. It snuggled against me. I felt its heart racing under my fingers. Its tiny body seemed so fragile. I had to save this beautiful creature.
From the first day I saw the bunny I had been trying to find a home for it. I asked family and people I saw in the park. No one wanted a pet bunny and I could not keep it, myself. The local no-kill animal shelter would not take strays, and I was afraid what might happen if I took it to some other shelter. Then someone I met in the park suggested a local rabbit rescue named Rabbit Sanctuary, Inc.
I called and they could take the bunny. I borrowed a cat carrier from my sister and on Saturday morning I headed for Lake Conestee Nature Park on a rescue mission. I was armed with both carrot and banana to coax the bunny toward the carrier.
My big fear was that instead of finding the cute bunny I might find nothing …. or worse, a black bunny carcass. The bunny had shown little concept of fear, not of people, or even of curious dogs that saw it on the edge of the parking lot. I knew that the first predator it encountered would have this cute little rabbit for a meal.
I parked my car, pulled the carrier out of the back seat, sat it on the grass in front of my car, and took off the cage door. With a piece of banana in my left hand I walked along the frosty mowed grass, looking in the tall weeds and calling softly. “Come here, little bunny. Where are you?”
I was a bit nervous about capturing it. I figured I had one chance. If I frightened the bunny and it got away, I might never see it again.
Imagine my surprise!
The black bunny appeared from the tall weeds and hopped right over to me as though it was answering my call. I bent down and gave it a piece from the banana. We were about fifteen feet from the carrier, a long way to coax a bunny.
I changed my plan.
I just reached down and picked it up. It did not struggle at all. I walked over to the carrier and placed the bunny inside. Now the only issue was getting the wire door back on the carrier before the bunny spooked and escaped.
I should have practiced putting the door back on ahead of time. I fumbled with the door. My first attempt failed; I tried to put it on upside down …. and it would not close. While the bunny was poking its nose out and climbing the door, I had to take it off and flip it around to put it back on correctly. I just knew the bunny would slip past me and get away.
But it didn't.
In fact, after I got the door safely closed, I realized that the bunny was just trying to get closer to my banana-flavored fingers. It wasn't trying to escape at all. It was calm and comfortable in the cage, especially after I squeezed another piece of banana through the wire door.
A few minutes later I was at the Rabbit Sanctuary. I met a sweet lady who had been rescuing bunnies over forty years. And I met some of her bunnies and petted a few bunny noses. They were healthy and friendly and well-treated. This was much better than the certain death the black bunny faced in the park. She told me that the bunny was too skinny, was declining in health quickly, and would not have lasted much longer in the park. A week in the wild is a long time for a pet bunny.
She said the bunny would be taken to the vet to check for parasites and then it would become a member of her little group. It would be given a proper diet and should do well.
The veterinarian found it was a female, not pregnant, confirmed her poor state of health, treated her and then she began her new life.
The sanctuary is funded by donations. I gave her what cash I had with me, around forty dollars. If you want to support her effort and get more info, including information about virtual adoption, you can visit her website by clicking here
My photo of my rescued bunny is on the website.
I've learned a few things from this. Too many people buy bunnies for pets and, when they get tired of them, they sometimes put them out in the wild to fend for themselves. Even wild bunnies don't live very long in the wild. To release a pet bunny into the wild can be a quick death sentence. If you're considering a pet bunny, do your research. It may not be for you. And if you have one and can't keep it, find a good home for it; it cannot survive except as a pet.
My part in the black bunny saga has come to an end, except for my yearly adoption donation. I must admit I enjoyed being a brief part of a bunny's life, especially being able to rescue her from certain death. Hopefully, the bunny will live out its natural lifespan around its own kind and in the loving care it will receive at Rabbit Sanctuary, Inc.
She has a name now, inspired by my early morning get-acquainted trips to the park. Her name is Morning Glory. As of this writing, she is still alive and healthy, living with lots of bunny friends in a safe and loving environment.