SPECIAL EDITION - WE SAY A SAD GOODBYE TO THE "BUNNY LADY" OF LAGUNA HILLS.
December 2, 2012 - We have just learned of the passing of Marilyn Mansdorf, a Laguna Hills Citizen, Children's Book Author, Wildlife Photographer Extraordinaire and Animal Lover, who had lived in Laguna Hills for about 12 years. You may remember her as the "BUNNY LADY".
I had the pleasure of interviewing her back in Sept. of 2011 and again, briefly, in February of 2012. The Orange County Register Newspaper had interviewed her as well - please see links for the OC Register stories and texts from the previous So. Co. Animal Shelter Coalition blogs below.
It's very sad to hear that we have lost her now. We don't know any of the circumstances of her death other than what we were told, that she passed away recently and a neighbor notified authorities to check up on her to see if she was alright. Those of us who knew her or had seen photos and heard about her will remember her always smiling face and her never ending enthusiasm for the wild bunnies that she so accurately reflected in her children's book and recorded in her extraordinary photography. She found great joy, later in life, through the wildlife in her small back yard, that bordered a canyon, and her very unique ability to photograph them behaving playfully as though she was not there at all. We will miss her, children will miss the opportunity to read future books from her and her wild bunnys will no doubt miss their devoted friend. Jean Bland for the South County Animal Shelter Coalition
FROM our Feb. 2012 - South County Animal Shelter Coalition Blog:
Revisiting the Children's Book Author in Laguna Hills - We did a story on a Laguna Hills Resident, wild life photographer and author Marilyn Mansdorf about her first children's book entitled - Bunny's Busy Day in the September 2011 posting of the SCASC Blog, then found a new and better story about this with great photos in the Orange County Register Newspaper at http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/12/20/for-bunny-whisperer-its-a-riot-of-wild-rabbits/165807/ For ‘bunny whisperer,’ it’s a riot of wild rabbits - December 20th, 2011, 8:00 am · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor.
Then we learned that Ms. Mansdorf's "Bunny's Busy Day" books had sold out through Amazon and Yahoo. We congratulated her for her success and Ms. Mansdorf has told us that she is now looking for partners, investors and donations to assist with the printing and publishing of 4 more children's books that she has on hold.
From our 1st interview with Marilyn on Sept. 2011 - South County Animal Shelter Coalition Blog (SCASC)
A Children's Book Author and Wildlife Photographer in Laguna Hills:
We recently discovered that Laguna Hills is home to a talented, very enthusiastic author of children's books, and wildlife photographer Marilyn Mansdorf. The title of her first book is "Bunny's Busy Day", the true story of a very wild cotton tail. Marilyn has lived in Laguna Hills for about 10 years and her photos have earned the attention of National Geographic. She has a lovely home that backs up to a canyon. Her backyard measures about 15 by 50 feet and that's where what she calls her miracle began.
About 7 years ago Marilyn noticed that wild bunnies and squirrels were attracted to her yard. They seemed to feel at home there and she enjoyed watching them, so she began an experiment. She added children's play furniture and toys to the yard and discovered that, just like children, the bunnies and squirrels began playing in the furniture, with the toys and with each other. She was so fascinated by their curiosity and laughable antics that she decided to document them. She uses an older camera with real film that has to be developed and has thousands of photos that she files and uses to document her stories.
She says her stories are meant to be a message to children that all wildlife should be respected but they are also open ended to allow children to creatively interpret the animals' behaviors. She saves all the negatives from her photos as proof that her photos are not photoshopped. Over the past 7 years that Marilyn has been photographing them she has earned the trust of these wild creatures and she still giggles with delight when telling their stories.
She recalled that the first bunny to enter her yard came as a baby but is now a multi-great grandfather who returns with other bunnies that may be his offspring. She worries for his safety and for the safety of all the other wild creatures but says she understands that they are wild and she must allow them to stay that way. The miracle, she says, is that these very wild creatures morph dramatically into relaxed and playful comedians, enjoying the toys, each others company and accepting her as one of them when they enter her yard but they change quickly back to the wild ever vigilant creatures they need to be when they leave.
Marilyn is quick to point out that she cannot plan what they do or train them she can only record them and write their stories. She has written a series of books about them and this is the first one she has published. You can find her beautifully bound books and buy them on her web site at www.bunnybooksinc.com $17.95 for the hard cover edition and $11.95 for the soft cover. I imagine you could talk her into autographing a few of them as well. We enjoyed Marilyn very much and are continuing to enjoy her book.
Marilyn with her enlarged photo of her original Wild Bunny Visitor
Marilyn's First Children's Book with text and photography by Marilyn
