Table 1 Reasons for the admission of brown hare leverets to rescue centres in the Czech Republic
Reason for admission | Characteristics | Example |
|---|---|---|
Orphaned | Young that have lost their mother | A young hare found without its mother |
Caught needlessly | A young hare taken to a rescue centre without reason | A healthy, well fed young hare without obvious injury |
Bitten by another animal | Bite wound | A young hare with bite injuries or seen being attacked by e.g. a dog |
Injuries | Injuries, not including bite injuries | Fractures, contusions, injuries caused by garden machinery, etc. |
Road traffic | Young hare injured by a road vehicle | An injured young hare found by the road |
Late-born young | Young that are not mature in the autumn | Young of a low age found late in the year |
Infection | Young with signs of infection (including parasites) | Young showing signs of coughing, diarrhoea, etc. |
Exhaustion, starvation | Young of low weight, dehydrated, with no signs of infection | Dehydrated, emaciated young |
Falls into sumps, chimneys, etc. | Falls into places from which young hares cannot escape | Young hare found in a recess from which it cannot escape |
Destroyed nests | Young found by a destroyed nest with no possible shelter | Young near a nest destroyed by agricultural machinery |
Other causes | Causes other than those given above | Shot, entangled in a foreign object, etc. |