This Lunar New Year , rabbit rescue groups in Canada are hoping that the particular Year of the Rabbit would turn out to be more about awareness — a year that not only educates people to carefully consider before adopting bunnies, but also draws focus on the rampant abandonment of these furry animals.
Sometimes people “get caught up in the excitement of the holiday or a larger festival” and don’t really put much thought prior to getting an animal, says Haviva Porter, the particular executive director of Ontario-based charity Rabbit Rescue Inc.
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Porter says although it’s hard to know exactly what goes through peoples’ minds when they are adopting pets, having more accurate information available for the public could help them make more informed choices.
One of the big misconceptions is that rabbits are small pets that can be just kept in a cage plus not given much attention, says Porter.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth, ” said Porter. “They are usually much a lot more work I find than cats and dogs. They don’t belong in the small cage. They like a larger pen. ”
Another thing people are often unprepared for will be the medical costs of rabbits, she says.
Porter says individuals should always spay plus neuter their rabbits to prevent all of them from breeding, especially since each litter can have anywhere between one to 12 babies.
Sorelle Saidman, the founder of B. C. -based rabbit rescue organization Rabbitats, says many shelters in the country are already reaching their limit because people are giving up their animals as they return to work or can no longer afford a pet due in order to rising costs of living.
“The post-COVID surrender requests that we’re getting right now are absolutely ridiculous, ” Saidman told Worldwide News.
Moreover, Saidman expects 2023 to be “a very intense year” with regard to animal pet rescue groups because associated with the heightened interest within the Year of the Bunny and the particular upcoming Easter holiday.
“We’re really wishing to use (this year) to highlight the problem with having unsterilized rabbits out in the environment and being sold to people by breeders and by pet stores, ” said Saidman.
Saidman states there are close to 2, 000 abandoned pet bunnies and their own feral offspring in Richmond, B. C., alone. Rabbit colonies are also popping upward in Alberta, Ontario and the East Coast with more and more people abandoning unneutered rabbits in parks, she adds.
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According to Saidman, municipalities need to step up their efforts to make sure rabbits that are out in the open are taken to shelters. And, provincial governments need to regulate dog breeders to make sure that the rabbits that are delivered to homes are usually sterilized.
Meanwhile, Lyla Frick, the creator of Pumpkin’s Acres Bunny Rescue, is drawing attention to the practice of fostering before adoption.
Frick says if individuals are not in a position to adopt, they can sign upward to end up being foster homes for rabbits.
“For people who aren’t necessarily sure if adopting is right for them, fostering is usually a good option because then they can get to know what it’s like taking care of a rabbit and in that case see if it is something that they actually want to commit to, ” she said.
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