Happy Easter from your friends at MyHouseRabbit.com!

Here’s a cute photo we came across today.

Australia has been burdened with a wild rabbit population disrupting its native ecology since the 1800s.  But now they face yet another rabbit problem in Sydney.

This time, a group of feral rabbits, which started out as someone’s pets that they dumped, is taking over the grassy area under Sydney Harbour Bridge.

While tourists find the furry critters to be endearing, especially as Easter approaches, something will need to be done to stop the family from breeding further.

Feral rabbit population booms in cities have been increasingly more common, as seen in many cities like Kelowna, Richmond, Helsinki and more.

For more info, see: news.com.au

Thanks to Dr. Patrick Kelly of California State University, Stanislaus, the riparian brush rabbit is making a comeback from being on the brink of extinction.  Kelly, who was named a “recovery champion” by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, used captive breeding to repopulate the area.

The riparian brush rabbit population had dwindled when their habitat was destroyed for farming and urban development. Then, from 1997 to 2004, a series of natural disasters decimated their already low population.

But now, Kelly and his team have been steadily releasing 100-150 rabbits back into the wild. There, they are successfully breeding.

For more information see:
Recordnet.com
Endangered Species Recovery Program

As Easter approaches, it is good to spread the message that:

1. Rabbits are not disposable, low-maintenance pets
2. With proper care, rabbits can live around 15 years
3. There are many homeless rabbits in need of forever homes, so it is better to adopt a rabbit rather than buy one.

Found Animals Foundation, Inc. has partnered with rescues in the Los Angeles area to help adopt out the overwhelming number of homeless rabbits by offering a LIVE streaming BunnyCam showing many of the adoptable rabbits in the area.

For more info:
Found Animals

If you live in the Los Angeles area and would like to adopt a rabbit, vist:
PetSave.org

And if you are thinking of adopting a rabbit, visit our Rabbit Care and Rabbit Behavior sections to learn how to properly welcome the new addition to your family.

Easter is just around the corner, and hopefully many of you are aware of the Make Mine Chocolate campaign which advocates giving chocolate bunnies instead of real bunnies as gifts.  To extend upon that theme, here is a list of other Easter Bunny confections you may enjoy!

• Easter Bunny Cupcakes
  These look adorable and seem fairly easy to construct.
• Easter Bunny Sugar Cookies
  This is a recipe from Pillsbury that doesn’t require a cookie cutter for the shape.
• Easter Bunny Cake
  Another easy bunny construction that doesn’t require a special cake pan- just a round one. (A little different from the Easter Bunny cake recipe I posted about last year.)

Kathy Smith and Lucile Moore, authors of When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care, have recently released a new rabbit book.  A collection of 39 stories, Touched by a Rabbit puts a spotlight on house rabbits’ unique personalities and the special bond between rabbit and rabbit owner.

Here is an excerpt from the story “A Rabbit for All Seasons” by Lisa Ivers:

Within a year she was unrecognizable as her former self. Jasper blossomed to a healthy 10 pounds, and was sporting twelve pounds six months later. At the same time she developed a very strong opinion of who she liked and disliked. When my husband went away on business, I decided to order a pizza for dinner. Imagine the delivery man’s surprise (and mine, for that matter) when a black blur of a rabbit bolted for the door, lunged at his feet and chased him to the driveway. The poor guy jumped through the open window of his car, begging me to call off my “dog.” “What kind of dog is that?! I’ve never seen ears like that on a dog!” I think I heard his testosterone levels crashing to the asphalt when I told him she was a rabbit. Granted, he didn’t get a very good look at her while he was running away…but he got a hefty tip that night.

To purchase Touched by a Rabbit, visit the rabbit-friendly retailers listed on the Touched by a Rabbit website or go to Buy Books on the Web.

When three baby bunnies were orphaned by a dog attack and brought to a wildlife rehab center, they were given another chance at life.  Noah, a one-legged resident pigeon, has taken on a protective, nurturing role for the kits.  Now, they all live together and the bunnies snuggle under Noah’s wing.

For more info: Boulder Pets Examiner