'Find a hare, leave it there': Wildlife experts respond to video of baby hare hiding in Edmonton yard

Credit: Wildnorth

EDMONTON — Wildlife experts are encouraging people to keep an eye out for animals in their yards this spring after a Facebook video showed a small hare hidden in an east Edmonton lawn.

The video, posted by Mike Hubre on a community Facebook group, showed a barely visible baby hare keeping still in the long grass near where Mike was mowing.

Dale Gienow, the executive director with Wildnorth, says the first litters of these little hares are starting to show up in the city and people should be conscious of their whereabouts.

“If you’re doing garden or lawn maintenance, have a look for those babies. They can get in treacherous situations. We want to be careful to look before we mow our lawns or if we stomp around in our gardens.”

Gienow notes these hares spend a lot of time alone even when they’re babies and encourages people not to assume they’ve been orphaned.

“We always give people advice: find a hare, leave it there,” Gienow explained, adding, “we’re routinely receiving these baby hares that people think are orphaned and we’re turning people around to go back home and put them where they found them so the babies can wait for mom.”

If a baby hare does seem like it’s in distressful situation, people are asked to put them in a nearby bush or some long grass.If the animal is injured, it can be brought to Wild North on 128 Street and 126 Avenue.

People can also contact Wildnorth at wildnorth.ca with questions about wildlife in the city.