Burnham-On-Sea wildlife carers are looking after these two tiny leverets – baby hares – at Secret World Wildlife Rescue in East Huntspill.
The two leverets – along with another sibling that sadly didn’t survive – were discovered in a garden in Taunton.
With building work nearby, the home owner was concerned about their wellbeing, so made the decision to bring them to Secret World.
After seeing a hare in his garden, the home-owner’s dog brought three baby hares or leverets into his kitchen over a period of a few days.
It’s believed the leverets lost contact with their mother and nearby building work forced them to make home in a garden close-by.
To be given a chance of survival, small hares are reliant on the colostrum from its mother – the first milk that contains antibodies, which is to be very important for the animal’s survival.
Animal carer Marie Denton was one of the carers tasked with assessing the three weak animals on arrival.
Marie said: “Sadly, the first baby didn’t survive but the other two are doing well. We doubted the other two babies would survive as they had also not received their vital milk from their mother. However, thanks to the home owner’s decisiveness, they were brought into Secret World just in time.”
“Ideally, we really like to leave youngsters for the mother to find them, but it would appear that the hares moved into the garden because of all the construction work close to the site. With this and the additional danger of dogs finding them, the safest place for them is to be with us.”
“We hope that by the time they are ready to be released, the building work will have been finished and they can return to the area where they were found.”
In 2017 Secret World rescued 174 hares and rabbits. Members of the public who would like advice on how to look after wild animals or would like to report injured wildlife should call 01278 783 250.
Pictured: Two baby hares, which escaped being harmed by building work are recovering well at Secret World Wildlife Rescue in East Huntspill
