Unraveling the Mystery: Why You Should 'Find a Hare, Leave It There' This Breeding Season

Every spring and summer, a common and heartwarming sight often leads to well-intentioned, but ultimately harmful, interventions. You might stumble upon a tiny, seemingly helpless baby hare, or leveret, curled up alone in your yard or a park. Your first instinct might be to 'rescue' it, believing it has been abandoned.

However, wildlife experts at WildNorth are urging the public to resist this urge with a simple, yet profound, mantra: "Find a hare, leave it there."

This critical advice comes as jackrabbit breeding season reaches its peak, typically spanning from April through August, sometimes even into September.

During this period, female hares are incredibly busy, often giving birth to multiple litters. Unlike many other species, mother hares employ a unique and highly effective strategy to protect their vulnerable offspring from predators: they leave them alone for extended periods, sometimes up to 24 hours.

This behavior, while appearing neglectful to human eyes, is a survival instinct honed over millennia.

A mother hare's scent can attract predators to her litter. By keeping her distance, she effectively camouflages her young, making them less detectable. She will return silently and sporadically throughout the day and night to nurse her babies, often under the cover of darkness. The leverets themselves are born precocial – meaning they are relatively developed at birth, with fur and open eyes, and can move independently very soon after being born, further aiding this survival strategy.

So, when is it appropriate to intervene? WildNorth clarifies that genuine intervention is rarely necessary.

If you see a baby hare that appears healthy, uninjured, and is simply sitting still, it's almost certainly not abandoned. The best course of action is always to observe from a distance and allow nature to take its course. Unnecessary handling can imprint human scent on the baby, potentially causing the mother to reject it, and well-meaning but inexperienced care can often do more harm than good to these delicate creatures.

There are, however, specific circumstances where contacting a wildlife rehabilitation center like WildNorth is warranted.

These include:

• If the baby hare is visibly injured: bleeding, has broken bones, or an open wound.
• If it is covered in flies or fly eggs (maggots), indicating an injury or distress.
• If it is actively being attacked by a predator, such as a cat or dog.
• If it is found in an immediate, unavoidable danger zone, like the middle of a busy road, and can be safely moved to a very close, safe spot without much handling.
• If you are absolutely certain the mother is deceased (e.g., hit by a car nearby).

In all other cases, trust that the mother knows best.

By leaving the leverets undisturbed, you are giving them the best possible chance of survival in their natural habitat. Education and patience are our greatest tools in protecting local wildlife. If you have concerns, always err on the side of caution and reach out to your local wildlife rehabilitation centre for expert advice before attempting any 'rescue' yourself.

Let's ensure our natural desire to help truly benefits these amazing creatures.