It was a cold and rainy day when a woman named Samantha arrived at a local nature preserve to walk her dog, Tonks. They were just leaving the parking lot and getting ready to embark on their journey when Samantha noticed someone gray and fluffy in the nearby grass. She watched the unknown animal for a minute — then quickly realized they weren’t supposed to be there.

“When I first saw her, I knew she wasn’t a wild rabbit immediately, but I thought she might be a small groundhog,” Samantha told The Dodo. “She didn’t have the right silhouette or behavior/movement of a wild rabbit. When I got closer to her, I saw the floppy ears, plus the fact that she didn’t run away or look wary of us at all, [which] made it clear to me.”

The little bunny, later named Fig Newton, had seemingly been abandoned in the park. She was not meant to be out there on her own, and Samantha immediately knew she had to help her. She walked Tonks a safe distance away from the abandoned bunny and settled her in, and then went about trying to rescue Fig.

“She let me get about 10 feet away before she would take a few hops away to preserve the distance,” Samantha said. “I moved more slowly and managed to get within arm’s reach, but when I reached toward her, she ran into the woods. I couldn’t see her anymore and was dismayed and thought I might have screwed up, so I called Rachael, my friend who has rabbits of her own. I was walking away from the bunny up the path toward Tonks when I noticed that she had hopped back out of the woods and had started following me up the path. It was clear she very much wanted to be helped and to not be left alone out there. So I slowly moved back and closed the gap again.”

Even though the ground was wet and muddy from the rain, Samantha sat down near Fig and simply waited. Being still and lower to the ground seemed to make Fig feel more comfortable, and she slowly hopped closer and closer to her rescuer. The pair hung out on the ground in the rain until Samantha’s friend arrived with treats, and they were then able to safely secure Fig in a rabbit carrier.

“Once she was in the carrier, we gave her some rabbit grain pellets and some fresh rabbit-friendly greens, and she seemed pretty relaxed and content,” Samantha said. “I’m guessing she was exhausted from being out in the cold and rain.”

Samantha took Fig to the vet to get her checked out and learned she was around 6 months to a year old. She was underweight, a little dirty and matted, and had overgrown nails, but otherwise, she seemed to be OK. Samantha learned from her friend how best to care for Fig, and although she was planning on taking her to a rescue to find her a home, she quickly fell in love with Fig and knew she had to keep her.

“Rachael helped me learn a lot about rabbit care in a short period of time, and I realized I could provide her the care she needed,” Samantha said.

Fig has settled into her new home incredibly well and made it clear from the beginning that she had no plans to leave. She’s shown her mom lots of affection right off the bat and seems to adore her new life. She went from being abandoned in the rain to ending up exactly where she needed to be.

“She’s pretty brave and never really seemed too scared or nervous around me, even though it was a completely new home and environment,” Samantha said. “She made herself at home with ease … I couldn’t have gotten luckier.”