Hare-raising story of an orphan leveret that returns to see family

A family who hand-reared an orphan baby hare are continuing to receive visits from the animal weeks after it was released back into the wild.

Natasha Terry and her family took the leveret in after finding her in the garden and cared for her for eight weeks before releasing her into fields near their property in Lincolnshire.

But two months on, the hare – named Clover by the family – still regularly comes into the Terrys’ garden and has even ventured back into the house.

“We feel a bit like Snow White really,” said Mrs Terry, 43.

“She came through the back door into the house, which we were surprised about, and she went upstairs and looked into the mirror on our wardrobe – it was like she’d turned up to check how much she’d grown.

“She’s been in a couple of times now – the back door’s open and I think she just thought she’d come and see where she used to live.”

Mrs Terry’s husband Mark came across the leveret while mowing the lawn, just a day after the family had come across a dead hare in the garden, so they quickly realised she was probably an orphan.

Mrs Terry said: “We brought her in and tried a couple of rescues, but it was right at the beginning of lockdown so no one could travel to us, we couldn’t travel to them and there was nowhere local that would be able to take her.”

Instead they sought out information on the internet.

They hastily bought supplies and set about rearing the youngster themselves by feeding her powdered rabbit milk from kitten bottles before progressing her on to grass, hay and some hard vegetables.

Picture: PA. Clover the hare has come back to visit the Terry family after they cared for it for eight weeks before releasing it back into the wild.