I accidentally killed a baby bunny gardening today
- Thread starter Govtgirl
- Start date
meowracer
Cathlete
I knew when I saw this last night that it would be sad, and I decided to wait to read it today b/c I didn't want to cry! Well, I cried for you and the baby rabbit. You sound like an incredible person - anybody who would be as caring as you is special, indeed. You did all that you could do, and you certainly had no idea or even any way to know. His soul will be blessed because of your kindness to him in his last moments. And yours will be blessed too. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
kathryn
Cathlete
{{{hugs}}}
I know exactly how you feel, I would have been inconsolably weeping myself. Your post itself brought a tear to my eye for the baby bunny.
I know it doesn't make it feel much better, but you didn't intentionally do any harm, and you did what you could to remedy the situation.
I know exactly how you feel, I would have been inconsolably weeping myself. Your post itself brought a tear to my eye for the baby bunny.
I know it doesn't make it feel much better, but you didn't intentionally do any harm, and you did what you could to remedy the situation.
Govtgirl
Cathlete
THE MOM CAME BACK!!!
Thank you everyone for writing, you have really helped me with this, and Vee, thank you for writing about "ahimsa" and for saying the earth-prayer, it really touched me....it is a wonderful philosophy.
I have a little update, this morning I only saw one bunny, and I figured the other one was near the gutter, since he ran in that direction. I started lifting the grass very softly, and heard a scared little yelping. I had already touched him the day before, but tried not to get my scent on him any more by picking him up with grass clippings, and I put him next to his brother in the original nest. I turned around and there's the MOM about 20 feet away!
I really quietly skulked away to give her room, and to make a long story short, she has been in the yard all day, between 5 and 20 feet of her 2 babies. My husband and I had to go out to the garage, and he is such a sweetie, he was tip-toeing like me really slow and quiet to keep from scaring her off! I hope she doesn't abandon the other 2 because I touched them, but I had to to see if I had hurt them I don't think she will because she has been in the yard all day, and I swear, in all the 6 years we've lived here I've only seen one rabbit. So I think she's staying close to be near her babies.
At one point today one of them was in the middle of the grass, and if I hadn't been careful I would have stepped on him! Again, I put him back in the nest by trying not to touch him much; we have several cats in the neighborhood, one sleeps in my garden sometimes and I didn't want him to get eaten.
From now on before I till, shovel, mow or do anything in the yard, I am going to run my hands along the area and make noise so I'll hear anything squeak or move. I'm fairly new to gardening, and this sort of thing just never occured to me, but now I know. Thank goodness I didn't hurt all three, if I had smothered the area like I had considred I would have This is bad enough, to have hurt more, I don't know if I could take that.....
Before this happened, I was thinking about starting a vegetable garden and wondering if I needed to get a little fence to keep any bunnies out, but didn't think much of it since I have only seen one since we've been here. Well, how sweet is this, I was telling my husband about a veggie garden and the fence, and he said "maybe you can plant a few veggies outside the fence just for the rabbits." Isn't that so sweet? He hates to see me so upset about this bunny, but he certainly does have a soft spot too.
Thank you everyone for writing, you have really helped me with this, and Vee, thank you for writing about "ahimsa" and for saying the earth-prayer, it really touched me....it is a wonderful philosophy.
I have a little update, this morning I only saw one bunny, and I figured the other one was near the gutter, since he ran in that direction. I started lifting the grass very softly, and heard a scared little yelping. I had already touched him the day before, but tried not to get my scent on him any more by picking him up with grass clippings, and I put him next to his brother in the original nest. I turned around and there's the MOM about 20 feet away!
I really quietly skulked away to give her room, and to make a long story short, she has been in the yard all day, between 5 and 20 feet of her 2 babies. My husband and I had to go out to the garage, and he is such a sweetie, he was tip-toeing like me really slow and quiet to keep from scaring her off! I hope she doesn't abandon the other 2 because I touched them, but I had to to see if I had hurt them
I don't think she will because she has been in the yard all day, and I swear, in all the 6 years we've lived here I've only seen one rabbit. So I think she's staying close to be near her babies.At one point today one of them was in the middle of the grass, and if I hadn't been careful I would have stepped on him! Again, I put him back in the nest by trying not to touch him much; we have several cats in the neighborhood, one sleeps in my garden sometimes and I didn't want him to get eaten.
From now on before I till, shovel, mow or do anything in the yard, I am going to run my hands along the area and make noise so I'll hear anything squeak or move. I'm fairly new to gardening, and this sort of thing just never occured to me, but now I know. Thank goodness I didn't hurt all three, if I had smothered the area like I had considred I would have
This is bad enough, to have hurt more, I don't know if I could take that.....Before this happened, I was thinking about starting a vegetable garden and wondering if I needed to get a little fence to keep any bunnies out, but didn't think much of it since I have only seen one since we've been here. Well, how sweet is this, I was telling my husband about a veggie garden and the fence, and he said "maybe you can plant a few veggies outside the fence just for the rabbits." Isn't that so sweet? He hates to see me so upset about this bunny, but he certainly does have a soft spot too.
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kathryn
Cathlete
That is a nice idea...and it's great that your dh is compassionate as you are.
cockateils
Member
I can totally understand why you are upset. I am a vegetarian also and I feed the cats and squirels in my neighborhood in Queens (the cats have been fixed). In my parents backyard a few years ago, there was an injured bird that was dying in front of me and I cried like a baby and ran in the bathroom and my dad came by the door and said "I hope you cry like that for me when I die." I just couldn't stop crying. All animals are innocent from the tiniest mouse to the biggest elephant. maryann
Stephanie0523
Cathlete
I also am so sorry that you went through that. As very sad as it was, you did such a special thing by making sure the other rabbits were OK and burying the one who died. Again, I'm so sorry. ((Hugs))