The "Rabbit"...
By Stacey
@xstitcher (30656)
Petaluma, California
July 27, 2016 11:02pm CST
We had two of my nephews today, the oldest and the youngest. We took them on a couple of errands, and to the park.
The boys at one point were playing a "hide and seek" game. On one of Frankie's turns, he came running around the building that housed the public bathrooms saying something to the effect of "Grandma, I saw a rabbit !"
What came to my mind was a jackrabbit, which there used to be a lot of around here, but he wanted us to come and see it.
Turns out it was a gopher. This little dude would pop its head out of its burrow every so often and look around.
Soon after we got to the hole though, a bunch of other people started crowding around, and soon some kids started poking sticks in the hole. 
Finally one mother said, " (Child's name) that gopher could have rabies." Which was true, and we left soon after that, but I got a few pictures of the critter before we left, and before the kids with a death wish (or at least a wish to get bitten) showed up.
Finally one mother said, " (Child's name) that gopher could have rabies." Which was true, and we left soon after that, but I got a few pictures of the critter before we left, and before the kids with a death wish (or at least a wish to get bitten) showed up.1 person likes this
2 responses
@Hanyouyomi (2187)
• Dallas, Texas
28 Jul 16
A few things:
1. I don't know why I found it adorable that your nephew doesn't know the difference between a rabbit and a gopher. Because even at that age I knew the difference as rabbits have long ears. But if I'm understanding the situation right, he was probably excited about his discover and mistook the gopher for a rabbit, even though he probably knows the difference. Excitement will cloud the mind like that regardless of age.
2. Why the fruit would kids poke it? Like I get they'd wanna see it, but the fact that they're there and quiet would cause it to appear sooo----Oh don't tell me they were impatient...
@xstitcher (30656)
• Petaluma, California
28 Jul 16
It was kind of cute that he thought the gopher was a rabbit. I think maybe because it was popping up out of a hole, and a rabbit lives in a hole...?
Kids can be just nasty--or curious, or whatever. :( It wasn't very smart of them to stick sticks into it's hole, though. 
@Hanyouyomi (2187)
• Dallas, Texas
28 Jul 16
@xstitcher Yeah but Gophers live in holes too. Though I'm assuming now that your nephews have been robbed the pleasure of watching Bugs Bunny, Goofy Gopher, and Winnie The Pooh cartoons to learn that... As for the kids poking the Gopher hole being nasty or curious, I'm assuming the latter, as some can be impatient, as it's not every day you see a gopher. But yeah poking it wasn't very smart, as they might've gotten bit and contracted rabies. I wanna say by this photo that it looks healthy, but as an amatuer zoologist I'm not knowledgeable to tell a healthy animal from a sick one by a mere photo.
