What kid can resist the siren song of bunny rabbits frolicking in the grass? No kid that I would want to pass the day with, 
that is for sure! And Desi, being the offspring of two pretty cool people, if I do so say myself, loves chasing him some rabbits. Why wouldn’t he? Rabbits practically beg to be chased, with their cuteness and their swiftness and their uncatchability. No kid actually wants to catch a bunny because then what? But the chase sure is a blast!
Desi chased these bunny rabbits in the West Hylebos Wetlands Park in the town of Federal Way, Washington, the same place we saw our first ever Banana Slug. With both Banana Slugs and bunnies this park was seriously awesome. But I digress. The bunnies here are Eastern Cottontails Sylvilagus floridanus which, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, were “introduced to several areas in Washington as a game animal beginning in the 1930s.” There are lots of Eastern Cottontails in West Hylebos Wetlands Park and Desi chased pretty much every single one of them. Don’t worry, as soon as we were past they came back out to munch on some more vegetation. In other words, no bunnies (or small children) were harmed in the creation of this blog post.
…
The third picture from top … ready to pounce. 🙂
Desi and Jules could be twins from behind.
How cute!!! I love me some little kids and bunnies!
I’m surprised that the bunnies let him get so close.
Sarah used to run through puddles on NYC streets to chase rock pigeons (and I think she still gets the urge). Chasing bunnies in Washington State is so much more….bucolic. And good for the blog. Who wants to write about rock pigeons? Desi is adorable from the back.
I hate to be a curmudgeon detractor, but I have a tough time with kids chasing wildlife. I realize Desi can’t do any harm, but I’m writing in response to Donna above. I’ve seen so many children harassing pigeons, crows, and then baby birds like ducklings by chasing them. I can cause considerable stress to the animals. Or frighten them into the path or cars or predators. I don’t fully understand why we’re not teaching our kids to quietly observe and be respectful around birds and wild animals. I remember sitting quietly and watching wild animals with great astonishment. It did not diminish my experience as a child at all. I would have been admonished had I tried to run after them or interfere in their foraging, for instance. I find it distressing that in almost every public park I visit, children are chasing birds and often screaming, sometimes grabbing for them. I don’t see it as beneficial to the animals, particularly when it interferes with their natural behavior. Maybe someone can clue me into why this is now so acceptable.
@Artie: I think that the places that this type of behavior is likely to happen are incredibly unnatural places. Places where pigeons, starlings, Mallards, and House Sparrows gather are places where people are feeding them. For example, Donna gave the example of her daughter chasing pigeons on a New York City street. There is nothing natural about such a situation and the pigeons are pretty darn good at avoiding traffic.
There is also the situation described in this post where an introduced rabbit is feeding in an unnatural environment (a mowed lawn). Desi chasing a rabbit into the bushes and then moving on might cause the rabbit a loss of a tiny bit of time that would have otherwise been spent eating grass. Not good for the rabbit but not a disaster either.
I’m glad you brought this idea up and I think that there are situations where kids (especially older kids) or adults could do serious damage by harassing wildlife but I can’t imagine toddlers chasing birdies or bunnies will have any serious impact on a population.
I have to agree with Artie, I, too, am bothered by kids chasing animals.. And, I see it in all kinds of places, including natural parks and lakes. I think it’s much more fun to be calm and still and try to get an animal to trust you enough to check you out or forage out in the open with you there. I don’t seem to remember where I was allowed to chase animals. Mostly, I got admonished for chasing them and told to stay still so that they would come up to me.