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Wild Baby Rabbits?

How old were they when they were seperated from mum? If they have been raised by humans then yes I would say they have to be kept domestically because they won't have learnt the behaviours they need to survive from mum.
 
Legally you can not keep any wild animal unless it was born in captivity and you have proper paper work etc, that i was told by an SSPCA inspector. so if you found a baby bun at 3 weeks old and raised it you would have to either release it into the wild or find a suitable sanctuary for it.
 
It depends on how they have been raised as it is illegal to release an animal into the wild that is unable to fend for itself as it should be able to. Rabbits are not covered under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (that is animals other than birds that are protected under the act) or Schedule 6 (that is basically, animals that may not be killed or removed from the wild).

This is from the RSPCA's Standards for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife:

9. RELEASE

49. All animals for release must be healthy, fully fit and able to sustain themselves once free. Failure to comply with this may constitute an offence under the Abandonment of animals Act 1960.

50. Where practical, adult animals must be released in the area from which they came and preferably into their own territory. If the release of a territorial animal is not an option within approximately two weeks of capture, consideration must be given to a full rehabilitation and release programme.

51. Release sites must be selected with care. The release of animals directly from the rehabilitation centre is likely to be inadvisable in many cases.

52. The site for release must be suitable for the particular animal. Particular attention must be paid to the following:

suitability of habitat,
habitat carrying capacity,
territories already established in the habitat,
food availability,
manmade hazards, eg. roads, pest control operations, power cables, oil spillages, hunting, etc.

53. Weather conditions must be appropriate for the particular animal and release proposed; generally, no animal should be released in heavy snow, rain, wind, or extended wet, dry, hot or cold periods or if such conditions are imminent.

54. Where possible, and where useful information may be derived, animals should be marked on their release, subject to the appropriate licensing. However, the restrictions of animal numbers and the expense of some marking equipment may be prohibitive.

55. Where possible, arrangements should be made to monitor re-integration of the released animal into the natural environment.

Further reading on the laws affecting wildlife rehabilitation & release:
http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformatio...uscontents/rspca-rehabilitation/Appendix3.htm
http://www.bwrc.org.uk/legislation.htm
 
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In relation to Sooz post......

Phill marches off the slap said SSPCA inspector cause i could have looked after the baby wild bun from last year. :roll:
 
There are large amounts of exceptions with relation to animals regarded as pests and animals protected under the act (for example all birds are protected and to deal with Barn owls you need a licence) but there are no specific guidelines relating to rabbits (they don't appear on any of the lists) except when you may not shoot them :roll: and that the release of a rabbit carrying Myxi is a criminal offence.

If I had tried to release Juno I would have been liable for prosecution under the Abandonment of Animals Act as she is disabled.
 
Thanks for your advice. I have just come back from the vets with the wild baby bunster. Vet told me to realise it near where it came from. He said it would be different if it wasn't fit, healthy, eating pooping etc.... Fingers crossed it will be okay back in the wild.
 
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