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Rare glimpse of a baby hare in Norfolk Wetlands

Leveret on Lady Fen Credit: Shaun O'Driscoll

Staff at Welney Wetland Centre near Downham Market in Norfolk have been treated to a rare glimpse of a baby hare.

A routine check of the wetland area known as Lady Fen, led to an encounter with one of the cutest and most elusive residents.

Baby hares, called leverets, are incredibly secretive creatures. Once born, they are left out in the open, using tussocks of grass or mounds of earth for shelter.

Whereas baby rabbits pass their first vulnerable weeks below ground, in the relative safety of a burrow. To avoid the attention of predators, leverets have to lay still for the majority of the day. They only feed from their mother for a few minutes each evening.

"This is the first time I have seen a leveret in my three years working as the stockman for WWT Welney. It was a nice surprise to come across the baby hare, which was smaller than a rabbit, but those tell-tale long ears gave away its real identity. Whilst I am used to enjoying great views of the adult hares, the youngsters have a real skill at staying hidden”.

– Shaun O'Driscoll, WWT Welney