The man who was lionized for rescuing rabbit from a wildfire now criticized for act

The man who plunged headlong into a burning field, hopped on his toes in anxiety and tapped his knees to summon a scampering rabbit — was initially hailed as a hero.

He eventually tracked down the rabbit and cradled it as he walked away from the flames.

But did he actually hurt the animal more than help it?

Slate called it a terrible precedent and pleaded with readers to stop sharing the video (while sharing the video in its story).

Why was the seemingly sympathetic act so wrong?

“I don’t blame the man in the video,” wrote Torie Bosch, “But it is irresponsible to spread this video widely and cast him as a hero.”

Bosch argues the man may have caught fire in his attempt, which could have compelled other passersby from their vehicles to help and resulting in even more burn injuries.

The man could have even died trying to save a “(wild!) rabbit,” Bosch writes.

If Bosch’s take sounds callous, consider this: researcher E.V. Komarek observed rabbits and their reactions to fire for decades. He never once saw a cottontail injured or killed by fire.

His 1969 paper, “Fire and Animal Behavior,” also argues rabbits and other animals sometimes may be darting into a burning field for good reason: They’re trying to save their young.

Komarek wrote that he observed a cotton rat herd its young away from flames, according to LiveScience.

“Fire is something animals have to deal with constantly,” Peter Tira, a spokesperson for California Fish and Wildlife, told The San Francisco Chronicle.

He, too, discouraged human intervention ostensibly to help animals during fires.

(Though Tira did encourage residents to report distressed animals to animal control.)

For some animals, though, a rescue is imperative, like with the dozens of thoroughbreds stricken by a blaze at San Luis Rey Downs in southern California. Though trainers tried to save them, many died in the flames.

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 11:08 AM with the headline "The man who was lionized for rescuing rabbit from a wildfire now criticized for act."