OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A plea from a local rescue group after being inundated with bunnies. Nebraska Wildlife Rehab said the mild winter is one of the main reasons why they're seeing an influx so early in the year.
"To have this many animals to care for in April is exhausting for our staff," Laura Stastny said.
In the past week, Nebraska Wildlife Rehab said they've taken in over 200 bunnies. That's a number Executive Director Laura Stastny hasn't seen before.
"Normally, we would be here for about 16 hours a day or 14 at this time of year. Our staff has been spending 22 hours a day in the wildlife center, so there's a very short break between the staff and the wildlife center," Stastny said.
Out of the over 200 bunnies, Stastny says about 60% of the bunnies could have been returned to their nests to be with their mothers.
Stastny recommends neighbors take precautions in their yards to keep bunnies safe.
"So what I did was just took a laundry basket and cut a hole entry point on all four corners to stake it down," Alison Ehly.
Ehly did just that and built a makeshift fort -- to keep these vulnerable animals safe.
"I just always loved animals and cared about them since I was little. I always loved rabbits, so it doesn't take much to do," she said.
Nebraska Wildlife Rehab feeds and keeps the healthy bunnies for three to four weeks and eventually releases them into parks and green spaces. Staff at the rehab do all they can to save these animals, but eventually, if this continues, they will have to make heartbreaking choices.
"If we don't have enough skilled rehabilitators to tube feed these rabbits, then we won't be able to take any more or we would have to euthanize what comes in," Stastny said.
The Nebraska Wildlife Rehab tells me that bunnies are typically in nests for two-to-three weeks. They said one of the best ways to protect them is to leave them alone, unless they are injured or orphaned.
