Latest news with #babyhare
BBC News
01-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Farmer rescues baby hare in roadside C-section near Gretna
A baby hare is "growing stronger every day" after a farmer performed an emergency roadside caesarean section on its mother, according to an animal welfare charity. The adult female hare was killed during a farming accident in Rigg near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway on 13 when farmer Robert Craig noticed movement in her stomach, he delivered two of her babies using a pen knife. While one of the babies did not survive, the other has been named Bruno by Scottish SPCA staff and is now being cared for at the charity's rescue centre. Mr Craig was silaging when he accidentally hit the adult female hare with his machinery."I went to check what I had struck and sadly found the hare dead," he said."I saw her stomach move and knew instantly she was pregnant, and I had to act quickly to give the babies a chance at life."I carefully cut her open and saw the babies. I gave them a gentle swing to clear out any mucus, just like you would with newborn lambs." He said he rubbed their bodies to try and get them breathing before calling the Scottish was immediately transferred to Fishcross, Clackmannanshire, where the charity provides care for orphaned and injured animals. When he was rescued, Bruno was underweight at just 80g - more than 20g below the average birth weight for a newborn hare. Animal rescue officer Emma Totney, who attended the scene, said: "When I arrived, I was surprised by how alert and energetic the baby was – it was a huge relief. He was feeding well and already showing signs of real fight."He was smaller than we'd expect for a newborn, but clearly a fighter. He's a little miracle."The charity said he now weighs more than nine times his original weight and has begun eating independently. It is hoped Bruno will be ready for release in the coming weeks if his progress continues.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Miracle' baby hare delivered using penknife in dramatic roadside birth
A baby hare has survived against the odds after being delivered in an emergency roadside Caesarean on a roadside in Scotland. Named Bruno, his mother was accidentally struck by machinery while farmer Robert Craig was working on silage in Dumfries and Galloway. "I went to check what I had struck and sadly found the hare dead," Mr Craig said. However, he saw movement in the dead animal's stomach and "knew instantly she was pregnant", realising he had to act quickly to "give the babies a chance at life". Using a penknife, he delivered two tiny leverets. "I carefully cut her open and saw the babies," he said. "I gave them a gentle swing to clear out any mucus, just like you would with newborn lambs. "Then I started rubbing their bodies to try and get them breathing, and, sure enough, they gasped and came around. "So, I stopped working, got them warmed up and called the Scottish SPCA." Animal Rescue Officer Emma Totney, who went to the farm near Gretna in May, said Bruno was "feeding well and showed great energy, so I knew I needed to get him to our team at Fishcross as quickly as possible. "We stopped a couple of times on the journey for feeds, and each time he did brilliantly." While one baby hare did not survive, Bruno is described as a "little miracle". When he arrived at the charity's National Wildlife Rescue Centre he was just 80g - well below the typical 100-130g birth weight for a newborn hare. Read more from Sky News: But he has since grown significantly and now weighs more than nine times his original weight. "He was hand-reared at home for the first five days to minimise stress," explained wildlife assistant Shauni Stoddart. "He responded incredibly well, quickly gaining strength. He's a true little fighter." Ms Totney said: "It's heart-warming to know that thanks to a kind-hearted farmer, the wildlife centre team, and myself, this little miracle will get the chance to return to the wild and live a full life. "He's a little miracle." It's hoped that Bruno will be ready for release in the coming weeks.
Sky News
30-06-2025
- General
- Sky News
'Miracle' baby hare delivered using penknife in dramatic roadside birth
A baby hare has survived against the odds after being delivered in an emergency roadside Caesarean on a roadside in Scotland. Named Bruno, his mother was accidentally struck by machinery while farmer Robert Craig was working on silage in Dumfries and Galloway. "I went to check what I had struck and sadly found the hare dead," Mr Craig said. However, he saw movement in the dead animal's stomach and "knew instantly she was pregnant", realising he had to act quickly to "give the babies a chance at life". Using a penknife, he delivered two tiny leverets. "I carefully cut her open and saw the babies," he said. "I gave them a gentle swing to clear out any mucus, just like you would with new-born lambs. "Then I started rubbing their bodies to try and get them breathing, and, sure enough, they gasped and came around. "So, I stopped working, got them warmed up and called the Scottish SPCA." Animal Rescue Officer Emma Totney, who went to the farm near Gretna in May, said Bruno was "feeding well and showed great energy, so I knew I needed to get him to our team at Fishcross as quickly as possible. "We stopped a couple of times on the journey for feeds, and each time he did brilliantly." While one baby hare did not survive, Bruno is described as a "little miracle". When he arrived at the charity's National Wildlife Rescue Centre he was just 80g - well below the typical 100-130g birth weight for a newborn hare. But he has since grown significantly and now weighs more than nine times his original weight. "He was hand-reared at home for the first five days to minimise stress," explained wildlife assistant Shauni Stoddart. "He responded incredibly well, quickly gaining strength. He's a true little fighter." Ms Totney said: "It's heart-warming to know that thanks to a kind-hearted farmer, the wildlife centre team, and myself, this little miracle will get the chance to return to the wild and live a full life. "He's a little miracle."
Telegraph
30-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Farmer rescues baby hare by performing roadside C-section
A farmer rescued a baby hare by performing an emergency roadside Caesarean on its mother. Robert Craig accidentally struck the adult female hare with machinery on May 13 while carrying out silage operations in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. When he checked on the dead mother, he noticed there was movement in her stomach and realised it was pregnant. Knowing he needed to act quickly, he saved the leverets on the side of the road by performing an emergency C-section with a pen knife. Mr Craig said: 'I went to check what I had struck and sadly found the hare dead. But then I saw her stomach move and knew instantly she was pregnant, and I had to act quickly to give the babies a chance at life. 'I carefully cut her open and saw the babies. I gave them a gentle swing to clear out any mucus, just like you would with newborn lambs. 'Then I started rubbing their bodies to try and get them breathing, and sure enough, they gasped and came around. So, I stopped working, got them warmed up and called the Scottish SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals].' While one of the baby hares did not survive, the other, named Bruno by Scottish SPCA staff for his fighting spirit, is now gaining strength at the charity's National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross in Clackmannanshire. Emma Totney, an animal rescue officer who went to the scene, said: 'When I arrived, I was surprised by how alert and energetic the baby was – it was a huge relief. He was feeding well and already showing signs of real fight.' Ms Totney added: 'It's heartwarming to know that thanks to a kindhearted farmer, the wildlife centre team, and myself, this little miracle will get the chance to return to the wild and live a full life.' When first admitted to the Wildlife Rescue Centre, Bruno was very underweight at just 80g (2oz) – well below the typical 100-130g (3.5-4.5oz) weight for a newborn hare. However, Bruno now weighs more than nine times his original weight. The team hope that Bruno will be ready for release into the wild in the coming weeks, provided its progress continues. The Scottish SPCA described Bruno's birth as 'very extraordinary', and the charity said it would not recommend anyone performing this kind of surgery on any animal.
