You may notice lots of rabbits hoping, jumping and running around, and from time to time you may notice a baby hare hiding alone near a bush. Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation in Saskatoon is telling residents to “leave the hare there” when they find one alone hiding in bushes.

Jan Shadick, Volunteer Executive Director says mother hares will leave their babies alone in a bush nearby, where they are camouflaged and scentless. The mother then only comes to feed her babies at dusk and at dawn to avoid attracting predators to her babies. Shadick says some residents may be unaware that this what rabbits do and some people may think a baby hare has then been abandoned.

She adds if people suspect a hare is injured, to call the Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation at (306) 281-0554 or the Provincial Wildlife Hotline at (306) 242-7177.

Shadick says it’s best to call one of the two organizations before handling the baby hare. If someone has already picked up the hare, Shadick says they’ll have a conversation with them over the phone to assess the situation and they’ll likely ask the person to put the baby rabbit back.