Since my incarceration at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, I have befriended a groundhog I named Rufus and fed bread to deer, squirrels and flocks of Canada geese. Occasionally I’ll see a cat, and once I even saw a red fox.
Still, I was not prepared for the animal encounter I had this summer.
Seven days a week, I clean the officers’ bathrooms, sweep, mop the hallways and take out the trash. On this particular morning, I was hurrying to complete my job and get out of the unit’s sweltering heat.
While sweeping, I felt something lodged in the corner of a gate, preventing the broom’s entrance. Thinking something had fallen out of the trash can, I swiveled the broom around to pry it out. Wiping sweat from my brow, I became frustrated.
Finally, I felt it dislodge. Out came a tan, brown and black ball of fur. It had a face like a hamster, a compact body and long, floppy ears. Thinking it was a rat, I screamed.
In the past, south hall had rodent infestations. New York City-sized rats have been seen scurrying around on the cameras at night and have even been witnessed by residents during the day. My scream brought people out of their rooms. Seeing the ball of fur, some scrambled to stand on chairs.
From the end of the wing, someone yelled, “Oh! That’s the bunny! He is always in here!” Taking notice of my grip on the broom, she added, “Don’t hit him — I’m coming to get him!”
I looked again, noticing its form. It was a bunny so small it could fit inside my palm. My fear subsided. I started jumping in place and spinning around with excitement. I’d never seen a rabbit up close.
The commotion brought the floor officer over. With help from residents, the officer shooed the bunny out the front door. It hopped a short distance before lodging itself into another corner of the foyer. Finally, the officer gently picked it up, and carried it outside.
The officer, Mr. P, told me that the bunny had been around for some time, and that he probably came inside to get out of the sun.
“I think he has a burrow nearby,” Mr. P said as he walked into the bathroom to wash his hands. “I put him right outside. He’ll be fine.”
As I continued sweeping, I kept thinking about the bunny. I talked about him to everyone who came into the hall. I had forgotten all about the heat and dread I’d felt that morning.
I returned to my housing unit with a smile on my face and a story to share. Nakira Griner, who lives in the room directly across from mine, had just awoken. When I told her about the bunny she was all smiles.
“Aw! That is so cool, Creash,” she said, calling me by my nickname. “I want to see it too! I’m going to be looking whenever I go outside.”
I also emailed my friend Coralis about the encounter. Coralis is a fur mom to a collie named Bonnie. She always sends me pictures of Bonnie dressed in outfits and on walks.
She emailed me back later that day. “Too cute! I hope he finds his family or he is going to be a snack for some predator.”
Since that morning, there have been sightings of the bunny throughout the compound. He is a celebrity! In addition to having fans, he also has a name: Tiny Hip-Hop.