An animal carer from Secret World Wildlife Rescue in East Huntspill, Somerset, is currently hand-rearing three orphaned rabbits which were found on a construction site in Yeovil.

While working on a National Grid Valve project in Yeovil, a JN Bentley crew found some baby rabbits close to where they were carrying out excavation works. Labour was stopped immediately and the team got in touch with Secret World Wildlife Rescue for advice.

Daniel Crompton, Site Engineer at JN Bentley, said: “Wildlife in and around our working sites and how we prevent disturbing or harming the animals is always a major concern for us.

“Once we found the baby rabbits, we were keen to seek help and advice on how best to care for them.

“The Secret World team was really helpful. At first, they advised that if the baby rabbits were still very young, the most caring thing to do would be to keep them where we had found them and the mother would more than likely come back at dawn.

“Wild rabbits have apparently a very strong maternal instinct. But there were some concerns that the mother may have been scared off from the excavation site and a fox or a badger would get to the baby rabbits first.”

The JN Bentley team emailed a photo of the rabbits to Secret World. From this picture, the animal care team estimated that the rabbits were probably mature enough to be brought in and hand-reared.

The JN Bentley crew made a nest out of hay and fluff for the three orphans and delivered their precious cargo to Secret World where the rabbits could be syringe-fed and cared for.

The three rabbits are now looked after off-site by a specialist orphan rearer and have been recovering well from their ordeal. Once they are up to a good weight they will return to Secret World and the animal care team will organise their release back into the wild.

Ends

Notes to editors:
About Secret World Wildlife Rescue
– Secret World Wildlife Rescue is one of the South West’s leading wildlife rescue charities (charity number 1097119) based in East Huntspill in Somerset.
– Now in its 25th year, Secret World Wildlife Rescue cares for more than 5,000 sick, injured and orphaned animals each year.
– As well as being a respected source of expertise and a centre of excellence where British wildlife receives the best care, Secret World has an extensive volunteer programme and engages with schools to promote respect for wildlife and the environment, adding further benefits to the local community.
– As Secret World does not receive any government funding, it relies entirely on the generosity of supporters and donors to carry out this important work for British wildlife.
– The charity’s website is www.secretworld.org

For media information, please contact:
Sarah-Jane Freni
Shooting Star
07939 217319
sarahjane@weareshootingstar.co.uk
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