For the first time today, I saw a rabbit in my compound. No, it's not the first time I saw a rabbit per se; it's the first time I saw a rabbit in my compound. My brother was the one who told me about it, as he saw the rabbit sitting in our porch.
We didn't know where it came from. I went over to pick it up, although it had a rather lame attempt to run away. But in my hands it barely moved. I didn't know if it was someone's pet (it most likely was). My brother suggested putting it outside the gate, but I couldn't help thinking that a cat might get at it (as it had eaten a friend's rabbit before).
I asked him to find a cardboard box, but no success. I thought that we could leave it at a friend's office, where she also has rabbits. Then we were told by my father's staff (who works at my father's office in the back of our house) that it belonged to our neighbour, whom we hadn't spoken to for about 20 years. It might be hungry, she said. It often comes over. Sometimes the maid feeds it carrots.
Oh, I replied. I hadn't known. So I put it down so that it could go home if it wanted to. It didn't. It settled itself comfortably next to our shoe rack outside the house, and it was still there when I left the house. It didn't look deprived enough - it wasn't chubby, but it wasn't bone-thin either. Perhaps it wasn't hungry at the moment. It might have been smart enough to forage for food - sometimes there are bits we throw out in the garden to decompose. Or maybe it has been 'weeding' our garden for us.
My brother said that the neighbours had already moved. I hadn't even known. I peeked over the fence and true enough, the lawns were quite empty of the things they used to keep there, save for a few rusty pieces of junk. But there were still a couple of their luxury cars. Perhaps they were driving the cars over to their new homes a few at a time on a daily basis. They have that many cars.
What moved me the most was that I was told the rabbit was sometimes hungry. How could anyone have a pet and not feed it? In fact... how could anyone not even take proper care of the rabbit, to the point that it can escape and cross over the neighbour's fence? True, it was domestic enough and probably smart enough to go home. But that was besides the point.
It had apparently been around a while. My father said that there had been a rabbit hanging around the cars, although he hadn't said for how long.
I swore to myself that if the rabbit was still there when I got home, I will take it and keep it. The first thing I'd have to do is probably take it to the vet to see if the necessary has been done for it. I have to admit, the expenditure flitted across my mind too - I have barely enough to pay for my own bills.
I'm disgusted by their lackadaisical attitude. You don't keep a pet and not take care of it. I know they don't even treat their maids properly - quite a number had run away from them before. They won't let the maid eat enough. Even if they have leftovers, they throw it away instead of letting the maid eat her fill. No wonder animals are running away too.
Is it anything to be wondered at that we haven't spoken to them in 20 years?
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