This is the true story of a wild rabbit kit's brief stay in this world.

Through this website, I got an email from a lady called Marlene, in it she explained that her son had found a teeny wild bunny sitting in the middle of the road and had brought him home. 

Marlene thought how fragile and vulnerable he looked.  Having never had a pet rabbit before, never mind a baby wild one, she was at a loss as what to do.  A little bed was made up to keep him warm and comfortable and he was given some milk from a dropper, but other than that, nothing else could be done until they could find an expert opinion.  Marlene was up all through the night checking to see if he was ok. 

First thing next morning, her husband Ian phoned an animal help line.  He was advised to get Cimicat, Rabbit Recovery, and a kitten's feeding bottle.  They were instructed to feed him every three hours and keep him warm.  Marlene carried on doing this for the next few days, but began to wonder where they went from this point.

Marlene started searching on the internet, came across the Bunnyhugger site and emailed me for help.  I've had no experience with kits, either domestic or wild, so I advised her to contact the Tufty Fund Forum and put in an urgent appeal.

She did just that and was overwhelmed by the response she got.  She was guided to a couple of sites specialising in the care of orphaned wild kits, where she obtained valuable information.  The Tufty Fund Forum members continued to give support and good wishes, and she felt very reassured that she was doing the right thing for the kit.  By now she was, of course, totally in love with the little fluffy bundle and had named him 'Hunny Bunny'.  He was thriving and starting to develop his own little personality.

Hunny Bunny was a very cuddly little bun and liked nothing better than to snuggle into the hollow of Marlene's neck and go to sleep!  Who couldn't resist that?  To see him feeding from the little bottle was a wonder to behold.  Marlene took hundreds of photos because she wanted to capture every precious moment.

One of the Forum members, Adele from www.rabbitguardianangels.co.uk, contacted Marlene.  Adele had reared two orphaned wild bunnies herself and was able to tell her exactly how to feed Hunny Bunny, and offered ongoing advice.  What a relief that was!

By this time everyone at Tufty had fallen in love with the tiny bun and we got regular pictures and updates on his progress.  All was going well, and then tragedy struck.  Hunny Bunny had died during the night.  We were all devastated, he had touched so many lives and sneaked into all our hearts.

Marlene says: " I had never had a bunny so everything was new to me.  The most important thing was that I wanted to give Hunny Bunny a good quality of life and for him to be happy.  I wondered if, because he was a wild rabbit, he wouldn't be happy but hopefully this was not the case.  He certainly made me very happy"

There was no doubt that Hunny Bunny was well cared for, he certainly had all the warmth, security, love and attention he needed.  It's not easy to rear wild rabbit kits, even the most experienced wildlife experts have difficulty in keeping them going. 

Hunny Bunny was very young and very tiny, Marlene's vet suggested he was only a couple of weeks old.  Had her son not taken him off the road, he would certainly have been struck by a car or taken by a predator.  Marlene did her best for Hunny Bunny, nobody could deny that.  He touched all of us and will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

Run free little bun, take our love to the spirit buns at the Rainbow Bridge.  (For those who don't know the 'Rainbow Bridge' story: http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm)

If you find a baby wild rabbit or hare, please seek the advice of a wildlife specialist or someone with relevant experience.