Oh, the rabbit in the window well drama!

So a few weeks ago in the middle of a deep freeze and snow storm, Paige and her friend were playing in the basement.  Suddenly, we heard gasps, screams, and laughter.  We go running down stairs to find out that a full-size wild rabbit has fallen into our window well and obviously can't get out.  Our window well is about 4-5 feet deep and it's narrow too.

Of course, no one wants to watch this rabbit slowly starve to death in our window well so we start trying to figure out how to get it out.  First plan, is to lower an old window screen into the well for the rabbit to use as a ramp.  I go outside, in knee deep snow, and lower the screen into the well, which scares the daylights out the rabbit.  He goes ballistic running around and jumping off the walls, which pretty much scares the daylights out of me.  Fortunately, I was able to get the screen into place.  We leave it for a while but the rabbit just huddles in the corner.  Now, we aren't sure he will be able to figure out how to use the ramp.  So Dave uses a shovel to move the rabbit and try to encourage it to run up the ramp.  This fails.

Our neighbor then tells us that this happened to them and they had to open their window and grab the rabbit with their hands and put it into a bag and carry it outside.  Their rabbit was a baby which may have made it possible as they get scared and just freeze.  This is an adult rabbit, who is not just going to let us grab it.  But, hey we should try everything right?

So I put on some gloves and open the window.  I am very concerned about the rabbit bolting past my outstretched hand, jumping through the window and into our house.  A wild rabbit tearing through your house is much worse than a watching a wild rabbit slowly die in your window well.  I realize that there is no way I can just grab the rabbit.  Next plan is to throw a towel over the rabbit and trap it so that I can more easily grab and bag.  (I'm sure by now, you are thinking, "these guys are so stupid."   In fact, I'm thinking it as I type.)  Anyways, because our window is so narrow, I use a small stick to help me throw the towel onto the rabbit.  The rabbit absolutely freaks out and jumps towards the open window. In a miracle or a tender mercy, I am somehow able to withdraw my arm from the window and slam it shut as the fur of the rabbit fills the gap.  Grab the rabbit and put it in a bag, fails.

Now Dave tries to use a shovel to catapult the rabbit out, but that, no surprise, fails.  Then he decides that maybe he should just jump down in the window well and get the rabbit out.  He is literally standing at the edge of the well ready to jump down.  Thank goodness, I'm able to talk him out of this plan.  My main points against this are:
1)he will be up to his armpits once in jumps in the well and the circumference is going to be a tight fit.  He is a big guy, there is not going to be much room to bend over and pick up a rabbit.
2)the rabbit is going to go insane and jump, claw, and bite the crap out of him.
3)the result of this is likely to be a rabbit and a man stuck in our window well…not good.

Finally, we just decide to leave the rabbit and the ramp and wait until the next day.  It's too late to call animal control or anything.  Hopefully the rabbit won't freeze to death over night, but we did leave the towel out there for him (ha, ha!)  In the morning, we are pleasantly surprised to find an empty window well.  Maybe the rabbit figured the ramp out.  There also happens to be a little bit of blood in the snow, so maybe another creature went down there and got him or maybe he was injured as he fell, who knows, but at least it's no longer our problem.  Next time we will just put the ramp in there and leave it.