As this picture series shows, fairytales and reality are often very closely related. There truly are animal friendships across species boundaries.

Seasoned hunters have often reported observing deer and wild rabbits together from their tree stands.  These two species attract one another. They often graze in the same areas together. Most likely, they both observe the surroundings and alert each other to hazards (predators) to be able to flee to safety when necessary.

In May 2005, a lactating doe was severely injured in a car crash and died shortly afterwards. Walkers found the orphaned fawn a few hours later and brought it in for bottle-feeding to make sure it survived.

The fawn was given the name Finchen and lived in a garden at the edge of the small village. Finchen was growing and developing very well, but was probably lonely without other deer around.

One day, a wild rabbit showed up and stayed near the fawn. At first, the two were only observed together at dusk or at night. They always grazed in the same corner of the garden, but kept a certain distance from one another

After a few days, the distance between the two animals became increasingly smaller and soon the two also were seen together in the daytime. After another week, Finchen and her wild rabbit were inseparable.

Deer are ruminants, which distinguishes their behavior very clearly from that of a wild rabbit. However, the little rabbit had fully adapted to Finchen’s needs. As ruminants, deer eat a lot of grass in a short time and then settle down in a hidden spot to chew their cud. During these restful times that Finchen needed to rechew her food to make the most of it, the rabbit cuddled up on her side.

When the rabbit was out and about, Finchen could be observed running restlessly through the garden, searching for her friend.

Winter came and the small fawn had turned into a beautiful doe, but not even snow could keep the little rabbit away from Finchen. Instead of staying in its cozy warren, it remained on Finchen’s side at night. The two rested very close to each other under the spruce trees at the edge of the garden. They also stayed together to feed. With her long legs, Finchen was able to remove the snow cover to access grass, which also benefited her little friend.

Finally, the long winter passed, and spring was in the air. The two friends could often be seen in sunny spots to get warm.

In the daytime, the wild rabbit was observed gathering dry grass for nesting. Imagine our surprise to find that it was carrying the nesting material to Finchen’s favorite spot under the spruce instead of a warren. It was very intent on its task, kept disappearing, and was back with a new load a few minutes later. It carefully spread the material and even tested the bed for softness.

Summer was around the corner. Finchen had become an adult. If she had been living in the wild, she would now have left her mother to be by herself. To give her a chance at living in the wild, we decided to bring Finchen to a release station for deer, where orphans are prepared for living free.
Finchen was anesthetized to make the transport as comfortable as possible for her. When the anesthesia was about to take effect, the shy wild rabbit entered the property in spite of all the strange people to say good-bye. It was especially tender and even supported Finchen’s head, which was drooping under the influence of the anesthesia.

How wondrous are the ways of Nature….

Updated Jan 19, 2007
As planned, Finchen was transported to a wildlife release station to be prepared for life in the wild. This station specializes in deer and has great experience with the process. This was Finchen’s best chance to return to the wild. The wild rabbit ending up staying here. After giving it a lot of thought, we decided against the idea of catching it and bringing it to the wildlife station with the deer. It would have been its certain death if we had released the wild rabbit into a strange environment. The first fox or other predator to come along would have been able to catch the frightened animal. Finchen has made the transition to living in the wild and is now sharing a nature preserve with other deer. This area keeps the released animals safe from hunters and traffic.

A small population of wild rabbits lives near our garden. The little rabbit joined that group after Finchen left the garden.