Year of the Rabbit: Canada’s animal shelters urge not to adopt bunnies on a whim – National | 24CA News

This Lunar New Year, rabbit rescue teams in Canada are hoping that the Year of the Rabbit would transform extra about consciousness — a yr that not solely educates folks to rigorously take into account earlier than adopting bunnies, but additionally attracts deal with the rampant abandonment of those furry animals.

Sometimes folks “get caught up in the excitement of a holiday or a larger festival” and don’t actually put a lot thought earlier than getting an animal, says Haviva Porter, the chief director of Ontario-based charity Rabbit Rescue Inc.

“We see it all the time with not just rabbits,” Porter instructed Global News on Saturday. “When the movie 101 Dalmatians came out, everyone wanted a Dalmatian, and people wanted owls during the Harry Potter craze.”

Porter says though it’s laborious to know precisely what goes by way of peoples’ minds when they’re adopting pets, having extra correct data obtainable for the general public might assist them make extra knowledgeable decisions.

One of the large misconceptions is that rabbits are small pets that may be simply saved in a cage and never given a lot consideration, says Porter.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” stated Porter. “They are much more work I find than cats and dogs. They don’t belong in a small cage. They like a larger pen.”

Another factor individuals are usually unprepared for is the medical prices of rabbits, she says.

Porter says folks ought to at all times spay and neuter their rabbits to forestall them from breeding, particularly since every litter can have anyplace between one to 12 infants.

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Sorelle Saidman, the founding father of B.C.-based rabbit rescue group Rabbitats, says many shelters within the nation are already reaching their restrict as a result of individuals are giving up their pets as they return to work or can now not afford a pet because of rising prices of dwelling.

“The post-COVID surrender requests that we’re getting right now are absolutely ridiculous,” Saidman instructed Global News.

Moreover, Saidman expects 2023 to be “a very intense year” for animal rescue teams due to the heightened curiosity within the Year of the Rabbit and the upcoming Easter vacation.

“We’re really hoping 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,” stated Saidman.

Saidman says there are near 2,000 deserted pet bunnies and their feral offspring in Richmond, B.C., alone. Rabbit colonies are additionally popping up in Alberta, Ontario and the East Coast with increasingly folks abandoning unneutered rabbits in parks, she provides.

“It’s a matter of time before it’s going to be uncontrollable,” stated Saidman.

According to Saidman, municipalities must step up their efforts to ensure rabbits which can be out within the open are taken to shelters. And, provincial governments want to manage breeders to make it possible for the rabbits which can be taken to properties are sterilized.

Meanwhile, Lyla Frick, the founding father of Pumpkin’s Acres Rabbit Rescue, is drawing consideration to the observe of fostering earlier than adoption.

Frick says if individuals are not able to undertake, they’ll signal as much as be foster properties for rabbits.

“For people who aren’t necessarily sure if adopting is right for them, fostering is a good option because then they can get to know what it’s like taking care of a rabbit and then see if it’s something that they actually want to commit to,” she stated.

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