4.  NEVER buy a rabbit or any animal from a pet store, a rabbit mill, or a breeder.  This only encourages the breeding of more rabbits when we are already killing the ones we have.  This is irresponsible and unethical when in the USA we kill one animal every 9 seconds (cats, dogs, and rabbits in that order) for no better reason than the lack of a loving home.  If you are an organization and have to have rabbits for your Easter event, contact your local Humane Society or SPCA shelter and/or your local rabbit rescue organization to work out a rabbit adoption day event supervised by rabbit knowledgeable people.  See links below to find a rabbit organization near you.

4.  If you are an organization that wants to have something to do with rabbits at Easter, do it responsibly.  Contact your local shelter and/or rabbit rescue and sponsor an adoption day for rescued rabbits supervised by knowledgeable rabbit people.  To find a rescue and shelter, use the above links in #3.  If you need help e-mail us at rabbitwise@verizon.net 

PLEASE NOTE:  If you see a hotel or other organization with a live rabbit event, please check to see if it is a rabbit rescue and/or shelter sponsored rescued rabbit adoption event supervised by rabbit knowledgeable people.  In March, 2006 RabbitWise mailed letters to the CEOs of the parent companies of all hotels who operated properties in the USA asking them not to use live rabbits for any Easter venues.  We suggested that if they had to have rabbits at their Easter promotions to do it responsibly by contacting a rescue or shelter and have them set up an adoption event on their property.  Rabbits are not given away or sold but must go thru the usual adoption process.  Information about care, children and rabbits, Easter and rabbits, rabbit fact sheets is made available to the public.  Care of the rabbits on the premises is supervised by rabbit people. If this is not the case please notify us immediately at rabbitwise@verizon.net  

The issue RabbitWise is trying to address is how to get more rescued rabbits adopted.  Anyone who has spent any time in pet stores doing adoption events sponsored by shelters or rescues knows just how tough the going is.  These strategies have not been all that successful in getting the euthanasia rates down for rabbits.  According to ASPCA statistics rabbits are still the third most commonly euthanized animal in the USA.   Easter time, when interest in rabbits is high, presents a good opportunity, if done responsibly, to educate about rabbits and possibly find them some good homes.  In order to generate interest in rabbits, they need to be seen by people who may become potential adopters.  Hotels and photographers seem to want live rabbits for their Easter promotions.  Rescues and shelters want to save rabbits’ lives.  Instead of waiting until one of these organizations offends Rabbitdom’s sensibilities, RabbitWise decided to be proactive and try to get these groups together to get more rabbits into a venue where they can increase the possibility of being adopted by being seen by greater numbers of people.   Even those who don’t adopt could still be educated by the shelter and/or rabbit people who would be supervising the event.

Of course, care must be taken in how these events are set-up.  The top priority must be about the care and well-being of the rabbits.  Keep in mind that conditions in the shelter where rabbits are usually housed often do not offer an ideal environment.  There's barking dogs, people coming and going, no other rabbits for company, and limited space.  Traffic at a hotel is somewhat similar to traffic in the shelter or at an adoption event.  These rabbits just may be better off AND have a greater possibility of being adopted at a hotel.  While it's not as good as living in a comfortable home with loving rabbit parents it is better than facing a needle in the vein when their time runs out.

Rabbits at hotel or photographers events must be supervised by experienced rabbit people that are well aware of rabbit needs.  Having rabbit knowledgeable people supervising the event is required for RabbitWise’s approval and we do check it out.  With a rabbit person there, people can be instructed on proper handling, etc.  Rabbits selected for these events should have more laid back personalities and be accustomed to noisy events.  At the adoption events, all handling of rabbits must be supervised by rabbit people.  Rabbits should be given breaks from time to time.

Looking at the big picture reveals the terrible crisis currently going on with rescued rabbits.  For the last several years, RabbitWise’s  Bunderground Railroad has been working on emergency placements and transports almost every weekend.  These projects have involved hundreds of rabbits.  There are always more in several areas of the country at the same time that we just might not be able to find resources for by their deadlines.  It only gets worse after the Easter dump.  After that we're are faced with the rabbits bought or won as prizes during carnival and fair season who will be dumped shortly thereafter if they don't die first.  This is not even to mention the strain that Katrina rabbits put on an already stressed system.  Rabbit rescues across the nation are up to their ears in rabbits and pleading for help.  We need to do something to develop resources for these rabbits.

Rabbitdom needs to change the ways we think about and do things.  We should not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.  We should improve our critical thinking skills, get in touch with the big picture, and get involved with getting this huge national number of rabbits better shots at getting homes.  Quality criticism of the animal rescue organizations always mentions the lack of incorporating broader community participation in getting animals to safety.  We also need to come up with better ways to generate foster and forever homes for buns.  If you have any input about this, we're all ears, as we say.

Does RabbitWise think this situation is ideal?  No.  But these rabbits deserve a shot at a home and this project is trying to give it to them.  If the hotel gets more brunch sales and points for being a good corporate citizen, so be it.  When you get lemons, you have to learn to make lemonade.  If more rabbits get homes, all the better for the upcoming ones who are facing a nation with seriously dwindling rabbit resources.  It's time to do something innovative instead of just wringing our hands.  It'd be great if all rabbit people got some venues going in their own communities that show off just what great little critters rabbits are.  Maybe then the terrible kill rate will go down. 

PITTSBURGH RENAISSANCE:  107 North  6th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (412-562-1200).  Adoption Event for shelter rabbits from Western Pennsylvania Humane Society Shelter.

HELP THE EASTER BUNNY HELP HOMELESS RABBITS  

Start an Easter fundraising project at your rabbit vet's office to help homeless rabbits who are  living at the shelters and rabbit rescues in your area.  This is the time of year when thoughts and images of rabbits abound so there is hope for much success for the rabbits and for increasing sales of your vet's rabbit related products in his/her office.  Here’s how the project works.

You will supply your vet with an Easter basket containing plastic eggs and a flyer that explains the project to their clients.  Inside each egg is a post-it note with the name and location of a current homeless rabbit.  Anyone wishing to make a cash, check, or rabbit product donation can select an egg from the basket.  The post-it note inside the egg will then be stuck to their donation so the product or money can be used for that particular rabbit.  Also give your vet a plastic envelope in which s/he can collect cash and check donations and a small cardboard box in which s/he can put the donated rabbit products.  To cut expenses, ask them to save the eggs and return them to you for future use.  Collect all materials shortly after the Easter holiday.

Ask your vet place the basket in a location where most of his/her clients will notice it but without interfering with their work.  Underneath the basket, place the flyer that explains the project to the clients so that the office staff does not have to spend time answering questions about it.   Indicate where the homeless rabbits can be seen and include photos if possible.  Make sure that you leave your contact information in case there areany questions. 

Jellybean Rabbit

Waller, TX

RE:  There’s no such thing as a “Live” Easter Bunny L

Dear Drs. Saathoff, Schneider and Justice,

This Spring I’m on a letter writing campaign to help spread the word about the Columbus House Rabbit Society’s “Make Mine Chocolate”campaign to discourage humans from buying “live” bunnies as Easter gifts.

I’m sure my mom told you my sad story about how I was bred to be an “Easter Bunny” and she and my dad rescued me from the Tractor Supply Store because I had a real bad eye infection that hurt.   Then, your office referred my mom to Dr. Cruzen whom is a very rabbit savvy vet, and takes great care of me along with the other three bunnies in our house.  Understandably, I worry about other bunnies around Easter time.

So on behalf of all bunnies, I have enclosed some “Make Mine Chocolate” pins for you and your staff to wear if you would like to participate and help remind your fellow humans that “Easter’s no fun for a Real bun!” 

Binkies,

Your Lagomorph Friend  

Jellybean