Species appreciation post: Scrub Hares
Scrub Hares are one of two species of hare found in South Africa, and are by far the most common and widespread. While they are listed as a species of least concern, their numbers are declining, and are predicted to continue to decline.
Unlike rabbits which give birth to blind, naked kits in underground burrows, hares give birth to fully furred, fully mobile young called leverets above ground. So, how does the mother hare keep her leveret safe? By hiding it. Mother hares leave their leverets in clumps of long grass, or hidden under bushes, and then they move off to prevent attracting predators to where the leveret is hidden. Adult hares rely on speed and agility to escape predators, but leverets have to rely on immobility and camouflage to avoid detection. Mother hares will return to feed their leverets, but will make sure nothing is watching them when they do.
So, why do leverets come in to rehab? They are often found and injured by cats and dogs, which is why it is so important to prevent these predatory pets from wandering unsupervised in grassland areas where Scrub Hares are known to live and breed. They are also picked up during grass baling and burning and cannot be returned to these landscapes now altered through human activity.
And lastly, perfectly healthy leverets are sometimes picked up by well-meaning people thinking they have found an 'abandoned baby bunny'. If the only threat to the leveret has been you disturbing it, then our advice is to put it straight back. Mother hares, like any good mothers, get frantic when they return to find their safely hidden leveret has vanished. And no, they won't abandon their baby because you touched it! Let's help our Scrub Hares survive by protecting them in their natural habitats from ourselves, our activities, and our pets.
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