The nomination "Responsible for those ...": The rehabilitation center "House of the Hare" restores the population of rare wild animals that are listed in the Red Book of Moscow.
The Losiny Ostrov (Moose Island) National Park is a home for big-eared in the Russian capital. But, unfortunately, over the past decades, the number of hares in Moscow and the Moscow region has significantly decreased, the journalists of the NIA "Ecology" write. At the same time, the territory of the "Moose Island" is the indigenous habitat of white hares.
The hares, who were released into a new home, were born in the rehabilitation center "House of the Hare". They were raised and fully adapted to life in their natural habitat. As a result, the animals were able to return to the wild.
"My first hare appeared by accident. At the beginning of the journey, it seemed that the hare was almost a rabbit, and there would be no problems with care, especially since there was a lot of experience interacting with other species, including wild ones. It turned out that the hare is the most difficult animal to keep. I probably wouldn't have been able to cope if my colleagues from rehabilitation centers hadn't provided all possible support at the beginning of my journey," said Kristina Grigorieva, director of the House of the Hare Center for Biodiversity Conservation.
Orphaned hares and traumatized individuals come to the volunteers in the "House of Hare". Specialists feed animals using special technology so that they do not get used to humans and do not become tame. Conditions as close to natural as possible have been recreated in the center. After treatment and rehabilitation, the animals are returned to nature. But the adult hares who permanently reside in the "House of Hare" are precisely the ones who ensure the future for the Red Book animals.
"In a few years, a whole methodology for helping animals has been formed: from feeding babies to feral animals. Even the release of an animal into the wild is accompanied by restrictions: a frightened animal can be severely injured, they are very tremulous and timid animals," continues Kristina Grigorieva.
Viral infections have become one of the main reasons for the decrease in the number of white hares. Therefore, before graduation, specialists from the Institute of Environmental Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences must take blood samples from animals. Immune analysis will allow you to understand which infections individuals are facing and whether they pose a threat to humans. At the same time, the adaptation of hares in their natural habitat is monitored using camera traps installed in the Losiny Ostrov National Park.
In total, over 1,500 hares have passed through the House of the Hare center over the years of its operation, a small part of them are not allowed to leave - they remain in constant care at the center, becoming babysitters for the growing hares, which people mistakenly took away from the natural environment. Most of the hares (for example, in 2025, there are more than 150 babies) have grown up, become stronger and recovered, have gone wild, and then volunteers release them in special places where hunting is prohibited.
Photos of the Center for the Conservation of Biodiversity "House of the Hare".