A London area rescue for rabbits is dealing with what it calls the "post-Easter dump."
Rabbits purchased as Easter gifts are being abandoned or turned in for re-adoption as owners realize the responsibility involved with raising the furry animals is greater than expected.
As a result, Hoppy Hearts Rabbit Rescue says this is the time of year they begin seeing an increase in demand for their services.
Kaylie MacIntosh, founder of Hoppy Hearts, says they have already had a heartbreaking case of abandonment.
“We recently took in a little rabbit who was abandoned, and unfortunately we had to euthanize him. We believe he was hit by a car,” says MacIntosh. “That’s something that would have easily been prevented if someone cared enough not to abandon him outside.”
MacIntosh says there is a clear culprit for these cases of rabbits being abandoned.
“A lot of people get rabbits as gifts for their kids and family members at Easter, and normally they are little babies," says MacIntosh. “Now the babies are reaching their sexual maturity, and are acting out."
She says that rabbits are a unique type of animal, and don’t act like you may think they would.
“Families are realizing that rabbits aren’t quite like hamsters, they can’t sit in the cage all of the time," says MacIntosh. “They’re more like dogs or cats, they need to be out of the cage, they need more time and work.”
Being an animal lover of all types, MacIntosh knows what it’s like to own and take care of pets, and she wants the public to know exactly what they’re getting into before investing in a rabbit.
“We just really want to encourage the community to thoroughly research rabbits before thinking about bringing them into their lives," says MacIntosh. “A lot of rabbits are impulse decision purchases, which is resulting in all of these rabbits being displaced and needing to go into rescues.”
Hoppy Hearts is a non-profit organization, dedicated to finding abandoned rabbits homes. Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer as a foster home can do so by visiting www.hoppyhearts.ca, or by emailing hoppyhearts@outlook.com.
**this story was written by Samuel Gallant. Samuel is a student in the Fanshawe College broadcast journalism program. He is performing a summer internship with Blackburn News.**
