What I quickly learned is that there are lots of rabbits out there who need homes. This is true for most common pets, of course. But it seems most people don't even realize rabbits can become good pets in the first place. Rabbits love to get their swole on, and as a result the bunny supply is pretty healthy. The demand part, however, is nowhere near what it is for cats or dogs. Many people buy rabbits as babies and return them as soon as they hit sexual matury and start decorating your favorite things with urine (hey, it's a compliment - the bunny likes and wants it, too). This is especially prevalent around springtime and Easter, when the rabbit trade really picks up.
I recently visited the Wake County Animal Shelter to see what bunnies they had in stock and the results were surprising. The so-called "Litter Critter" room - in which all rabbits are housed - was virtually deserted. There were no employees or volunteers in there, and I was the only customer. The rabbits sat there in stacked cages just waiting for visitors. Some had been there for weeks. They all had food, water, and chews, so they weren't being mistreated. Yet it was strange and disconcerting that the busiest animal shelter in the state didn't see more rabbit interest. I even asked one volunteer about the animals and her response was that she "didn't do rabbits."
One rabbit was actually an Eastern Cottontail (i.e. a wild rabbit) that had been caught in a cat trap and brought into the shelter. "Don't go with that one," I was told, "it'll destroy your house." What living creature doesn't? It wasn't exactly a hard sell for an animal that seemed to have the tamest disposition of any of them. He'd been there since November.
If there's anything to be learned from this blog, it's that rabbits are the shit. Nobody wants a rabbit, yet people are obsessed with having more kids than they can possibly support financially or justify environmentally? See my previous post/rant on why bunnies > brats.
If you want to give a meaningful gift for this most commercial of holidays, do two creatures a favor and adopt a bunny. Do it... or face her wrath:
Hello Brian! I am visiting thanks to your neighbor Anna (she knows how much I love me some buns, and I have a Holland Lop right now named Mr Tawny McCalastair).
ReplyDeleteI have volunteered at Wake County SPCA, which I am hoping is a different location than the one you described above. I was a "Bunny Buddy" for about a year. The buns there get visitors twice a day, explicitly for socialization, and many of them get clicker trained. Although they aren't usually there long enough to get fully trained, because they are too cute and people who think they are going to adopt a dog come away with a bun or two....