Our lower back yard overlooking a canyon was getting out of hand with some very tall grass and nettles since the rains and I went over it with a weed-whacker to bring it down to mower and tiller level to start planting the melons.
I was finishing up in a particularly weedy area and suddenly heard this most gawd-awful screeching and saw something that looked like a large field mouse flop around.
When I got my belt rag out to catch it, I saw it was a juvenile cottontail about 7 inches long; I had whacked one of his ears down to about a third and sliced the other ear open.
Poor baby was still going "tharn", but stopped squealing and kicking out in shock when I picked him up (gloves on) and wrapped him in the rag.
Got some peroxide on his ears to help clean them out while the kidlet got the old rattie transport cage ready (bedding, water bottle, a hiding "nest") and we took the baby straight to the local San Diego Wildlife Rehabilitation center. He had settled down some and was licking at the water bottle by the time we got there.
http://www.projectwildlife.org/news.winter2002.wildlifeday.htmThe nice ladies at the center had quite a few other baby rabbits around (car hits, cat and dog catches) and they thought that he might be able to pull through after some antibiotics and stitches in the split ear since he was drinking a little and seemed to be recovering from his shock.
First time they saw a weed-whacking.
I still feel guilty, but there's no way I could have seen the little guy in the tall weeds.
We'll probably see him again; they'll let him back in his home canyon once he heals up and gets a bit bigger.
I figure I'm also going to have to rabbit-proof the garden pretty soon - momma and siblings will probably be visiting as soon as more of the veggies start coming up.
Haele
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