BS: Suicidal rabbits

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Bee
Date: 24 May 07 - 09:27 AM

I suspect vehicles don't register with them unless they are at a good angle to see movement. You can walk right up to most wild rabbits (and quite a few birds, and sometimes deer) by coming straight towards them, making sure there's no side to side motion and keeping your hands still. I do it with our backyard bunnies often, learned it worked when I was a kid.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 24 May 07 - 08:23 AM

They seem to have a thing about headlights.

I've been amazed how many sit on the edge of the road eating and don't flinch as you go by.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Pilgrim
Date: 24 May 07 - 08:14 AM

When I was a little bunny, I always told my cousin Cotton Tail that if he should find himself in the middle of the road with a car coming towards him, and no time to get out of the way, he should line himself up with the centre of the grille, press himself flat to the road, and the car would pass harmlessly overhead. Bloomin Robin Reliants. I miss him.....

Pilgrim

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: GUEST,The black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 24 May 07 - 07:56 AM

I suppose eventually survival of the fittest will mean that rabbits that run away wil be the only ones left to breed.
I seem to remember reading that there is a higher percentage of hedgehogs nowadays that run instead of curling up into a ball.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 24 May 07 - 06:29 AM

I read the thread title as "suicidal rabbis" and thought it was yet another about Israel.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Little Hawk
Date: 23 May 07 - 11:29 PM

My experience is that if you drive at the same speed, you usually hit them. On the other hand, if you do anything else, you usually hit them too, but ocassionally you don't. Best to check the rearview mirror before braking!

In my lengthy driving career I have hit one chipmunk, two snakes, one cat, one bird, and one dog. The cat was merely grazed, and got away. So did the dog. The others weren't so lucky.

Oh, and then there's all those dead bugs on my conscience! ;-) I figure a couple of million of them.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Mrrzy
Date: 23 May 07 - 10:59 PM

Don't rabbits have the same agreement with drivers as do squirrels? You keep driving at the same speed, and they will get out of the way at the last second. If you swerve, brake, or do anything else that makes you unpredictable, you will kill the stupid buggers.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 May 07 - 10:56 PM

Ask Ranger! about the dead duck story.
I had a suicidal squirrel run in front of me today as I prayed I wouldn't get rear ended and hit the breaks.
My Freddie often sits at the side of our street and waits for a car to go by. He then makes a fake leap into the street and is always amused at the blowing horn and screeching of breaks. Horrible cat!

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Rapparee
Date: 23 May 07 - 10:25 PM

Did a float down a mild stretch of the Snake River last year, Sorch. You shoulda seen the Californios when they got a peek at the remains of the wolf-killed fawn on Dead Man's Bar! The wolves had eaten their fill that morning and now the eagles were chowing down....

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 May 07 - 09:58 PM

And, it seems to be a cicada year too. What's going on here? Are we being invaded by cicada eating killer rabbits?

Steve, 'the public' would have a difficult time in Wyoming. Only the larger animals get removed from the roadways...deer, etc. The smaller ones, coons, cats, rabbits, just get pounded into the asphalt.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Bee
Date: 23 May 07 - 09:16 PM

It's a maximum rabbit year in Nova Scotia, too. They're everywhere. Good year for Lynx, hopefully.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: RangerSteve
Date: 23 May 07 - 09:07 PM

LH's explanation makes sense. I can't think of a better one. As a former state park ranger, I've killed more than my share of rabbits, and not because I wanted to. They just ran in from of my car, and trying to avoid them is impossible. Just be glad you don't have to clean up the mess like I did (the public can't see dead animals, it upsets a lot of them and they want explanations as to why you allow them to get killed). Rabbits are a pain to clean up, because they are very loosely attached to their skin, and in a lot of cases, it comes clean off when they get hit by a car.

Subject: RE: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: Little Hawk
Date: 23 May 07 - 07:38 PM

They are fascinated by the idea of "spooking" a car with their sudden changes of direction...and possibly causing it to veer off the road in a clumsy attempt at pursuit and crash into a tree. What they don't realize is that cars simply aren't interested in rabbits at all.

Subject: BS: Suicidal rabbits
From: GUEST,Arnie at work
Date: 23 May 07 - 07:15 PM

On my way to the folk club last Friday eve, I spied a young rabbit sitting by the roadside a few yards ahead. As I approached, at about 50 mph, said young rabbit decided to play a game of chicken with my car, and unfortunately did not win! My route was through miles and miles of countryside, and I had to wonder what fatal fascination drives rabbits into deciding that a stretch of tarmac is infintely more pleasurable to hop around on than a field of fresh green grass. I felt quite sorry having wiped out a young rabbit, but couldn't really avoid it. On the same subject, there looks to be an awful lot more rabbits around this year in Kent, and most of them seem to prefer sitting on verges watching the cars go by!