Wildlife class catches rabbit after 14-year drought

Wildlife teacher Mr. Bob Savery’s 14-year rabbit drought ended April 11 when a group in his class caught an eastern cottontail.

The event was one to remember, and the group of Kent Wakefield, Mallory Denning, Maddie Newsom, and Rachael Horn was very much in shock. Many students recall shouts of joy and disbelief.

“We set our expectations very low when it came to catching anything, so when Kent ran over telling us we caught a rabbit, I was shocked,” Denning said. “I think the idea felt so far-fetched, and the fact that Savery finally ended his drought was the best part.”

Even Mr. Savery was doubtful when he first heard the rabbit had been caught, especially because students have been tricking him for years.

“I didn’t believe it,” he said. “I thought they were kidding me.”

Students in the past have put everything in the traps from stuffed rabbits to their own pet rabbits.

The group was welcomed to class the next day with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and they have other perks in store.

“The rabbit, as Mr. Savery had told our class, would merit an A for the semester, so we were more than ecstatic to find something in our trap,” Wakefield said.

For years, the class has seen the rabbits running by the traps or being caught by hawks. Their tracks have also been found many times.

“I personally think they had it in for me,” Mr. Savery said. “They were making fun of me.”

Horn said catching the rabbit was special to her because they were the only group to get one in 14 years of trying.

Mr. Savery’s wildlife class can finally move on to catching bigger and better animals now that this feat is behind them and the drought is over.