Many animal lovers worry unnecessarily when they find a small brown hare alone. Most young rabbits are neither orphaned nor sick. If the animal is not injured or in danger, it must not be taken with you under any circumstances. This makes you guilty of poaching. The mother rabbit is usually very close to the young animals and can continue to look after her offspring. Walkers should be considerate when walking away and keep dogs on a leash!
Should a young hare sit in a very unfavorable place, for example in the immediate vicinity of a road, you can carefully pick it up and release it again 30 meters from the place where it was found, without worrying that the mother animal will not accept the offspring again. The mother instinct is stronger than the fear of the human smell. To be on the safe side, an animal that has been touched can be gently rubbed with some grass, leaves, or dirt.
The case is different when a small rabbit is actually wounded. Injured rabbit pups should be picked up carefully and taken to the nearest wildlife sanctuary in a box (with air holes!). The rearing and release of young wild animals must be left to the experts. In addition, it is also not permitted by law to take in wild animals without a permit.
supports the wildlife sanctuary in Hamburg with 100,000 euros annually. Every year, more than 1,500 helpless young birds, squirrels, rabbits and other wild animals are expertly cared for, reared, given medical care and released back into the wild.
You can find more wildlife guides here.