A Colorado woman who set up a security camera to capture any potential “mischief” around the outside of her home got a shock when she checked what had been recorded.
Shelly, who lives in Longmont, first set up her Ring device for security purposes. “I originally placed the camera to keep an eye out for late-night mischief in our neighborhood,” she told Ring.
Americans are living in a time of fear. A 2023 Gallup Poll found 40 percent of Americans are afraid to walk home alone at night when within a mile of their home, which is the highest proportion in three decades.
The same poll found nearly half (44 percent) worry about their home being burglarized when they aren’t there. Security camera devices can provide some reassurance, when away, that a home or property is undisturbed. They can also be useful in alerting the relevant authorities.
As the case of Shelly’s Ring camera demonstrates, however, they can also capture unexpected and often beautiful surprises, a world away from the worries of modern life and a welcome respite from such concerns.
Shelly set her camera up to protect against ne’er-do-wells but, as she puts it herself, “I ended up capturing something much cuter.”
The resulting footage, which was shared with Newsweek by Ring, reveals the unexpected visitors Shelly received on the night of October 7. Visitors who clearly had violence on their minds. Big, fluffy and occasionally bouncy violence.
As the clip shows, her visitors that night were a pair of rabbits who had evidently chosen her backyard to settle some kind of ongoing beef. It was the last thing Shelly expected to see when she logged into the Ring app.
“I check the footage every morning, just to see what happened overnight—and this time, I caught a sweet moment with the local wildlife,” Shelly said.
The sight of two rabbits in her backyard wasn’t entirely a surprise. “I’ve been leaving out treats for the rabbits and squirrels, and it’s been fun to see them show up,” Shelly said.
However, to see them bouncing around, engaged in some kind of animal duel, is fascinating to watch and certainly not the kind of confrontation you would expect to see when someone mentions seeing rabbits.
Shelly herself was stunned to have captured the confrontation. “It wasn’t on any of the other cameras, so I’m glad this one caught it,” she said.
She’s now waiting to see if the two rabbits return to continue their duels in the days and weeks to come. A small part of Shelly will undoubtedly be hoping they bury the hatchet. Pun intended.