Rocket Escapes

Rocket is a bunny so fearsome and with such a history of liberating blood from inside volunteers that the gate to his warren has big blue "danger" signs on both sides.

Putting up those signs was entirely necessary. Passing visitors would see a cute little orange bunny, full of character, come bounding up to the front of his warren, stand high on his back legs and put his paws on the gate. They'd think "Awwwww, look at that little cutie, he wants a nose rub!", then they'd start to lean over the gate...

Rocket's perspective was entirely different. From afar, he'd see a stranger approaching his gate. "I'd better warn them off" he'd think. After charging towards them didn't seem to work, he'd rear up and throw his ears back to show he was ready to fight to defend his territory. But if they still came at him, he was fully tensed and ready to launch into the air to bite back...

There was a time when he was relentless. You could barely get through the gate at all, let alone anywhere near his shed to clean. But these days he is somewhat more forgiving of people, especially those bearing snacks, though I still advise people not to lean over him.

So it was with some slight dread that I discovered he had dug under the fence into the next warren and was refusing to go back. There was nothing for it but to, [gulp], pick him up.

I didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified when I crouched down to try and grab him and he immediately jumped straight into my lap. I quickly realised there was no aggression in his actions and it didn't take me too long to figure out what he was up to. All those times I've sat on the ground in his run feeding him parsley, teaching him people are not out to harm him, he just thought it was snack time.

He was none too happy when I cradled him, stood up and carried him back to his own house. Not wanting to leave him with negative feelings towards me, after I'd filled the hole to prevent further Rocket adventures I really had no choice but to come back and remind him why he started trusting me in the first place.

"I am Rocket, hear me roarrmmmmnom..nom.nom... What was I saying again?"