While cleaning out the planters outside of Lower Arrupe Hall, Ms. Kalayansunder’s 6th period Environmental Science class discovered a borough of baby bunnies, an adorable surprise that captivated the students.
Over the summer the lack of maintenance led to an overgrown and dried out mess in the planters. To begin a new year of growing fall vegetables, the old debris needed to be cleared out, including digging up carrots buried in the ground from last season.
The small bunnies were so young they hadn’t opened their eyes, and any definable features that would clearly make them bunnies, were still too small.
“We thought they were mice at first, or maybe a mole,” claimed senior Ella Bozich. The bunnies took the class by surprise and turned a normal day in Environmental Science cleaning up the gardens, to an adorably eventful afternoon.
“I was so surprised because they were literally underground, we were shoveling and then we found them, and everyone started freaking out and wanted to hold them,” recalled senior Ana Casado.
The class briefly held the baby bunnies but quickly returned them to their underground nest. Holding the bunnies for too long could lead the mother to reject them due to the human’s scent, so the class returned them to safety and resumed gardening in other areas.
According to the Portland Audubon Society, if you find baby bunnies in your own backyard, if they are not injured, the best thing you can do for them is leave them alone. The mother of the bunnies will feed them at dawn and dusk, so it is perfectly normal for them to be left alone all day. Although, if you believe the bunnies don’t have a mother taking care of them, then you can call the Portland Audubon Society or another wildlife protection agency.
The discovery of the bunnies brought joy to the class, and came as an adorable end to a warm and sunny day.
