Share

Don’t Buy Rabbits Over Easter, Families Urged

Stuff.co.nz addressed the commitment of taking in a pet, and the influx of rabbits needing homes that routinely follows the bunny-happy holiday.

Advertisement

So when leaving the pet store this Easter, animal experts just ask parents to do their research well.

Did you ever get a bunny for Easter when you were a child? Barbara Williamson, media relations manager for the organization, said this overflow is usually attributed to a lack of spaying or neutering of the rabbits or owners simply giving them up shortly after acquiring them.

A Bexhill pet shop will not selling rabbits over the Easter weekend to highlight the number of bunnies that are abandoned every year.

Jen Hilbers, the founder of Tiny Paws Small Animal Rescue, has implemented a moratorium on rabbit adoptions until April because she says too many people end up not being able to care for their new addition to the family.

They head out to farms around Central Otago where the land is ravaged by rabbits. “This happens all over the United Kingdom and it’s why rabbits bought from pet stores often come with illness”.

Advertisement

Hilbers said her rescue is about begin its “worst time of the year”. “Largely unknown until a couple of years ago, Rabbit Island is fast becoming a popular tourist attraction thanks to social network sites like Facebook and YouTube showing insane pictures and videos of people being mobbed by rabbits”, London-based photographer Paul Brown told the Daily Mail. This is a death sentence in more ways than one. Rabbits need a large hutch plus a run. Numerous rabbits at Best Friends are already bonded with other animals. “You get people dumping rabbits because they’ve chose to get a dog, or have a baby, or their child has lost interest”. In fact, many aspects of Easter, like its use of eggs, is derived from pagan celebration, the Guardian reported.

Stick to buying a chocolate bunny this Easter