We all know that lawn mowers and lake shores don’t mix, but mowers don’t just cause problems for the lake—they can also pose a serious risk to rabbit nests buried beneath your lawn back home.
Jared Houliston, owner of Ontario Wildlife Removal Inc. in Brantford, Ontario, often gets calls from residents who have run over a rabbit’s nest with their lawn mower. In a viral video with over 3 million views, he demonstrates why that patch of brown grass might not be what you expect.
The nests appear as brown patches of lawn, and only when the top layer is removed do you see the tiny baby rabbits that lie beneath.
“It happens everywhere, except people don’t know about it,” Houliston told CBC. “Maybe that’s why it’s getting shared so much.”
Not wanting to draw attention to the nest, the mother will only visit her babies a couple times a day for feeding and grooming. For this reason, people often misjudge the nest as abandoned and will disturb the babies in a well-meaning attempt to save them.
For anyone who finds these nests, and would like to remove them, Houliston says not to fear; these babies grow quickly and hop away within two weeks.
Who knew!
