Who knew those tough characters working for the Empire liked bunnies? In Kelly Kerrigan’s artwork, the Nashville artist depicts Boba Fett, clone warriors, and other Star Wars characters showing their softer side, cuddling bunnies.

Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett holds a bunny in Kelly Kerrigan's painting, "Boba Fett and Fuzzy Bunny."

This new series of artwork is how my creativity has responded to the death of my husband, Paul. He died on December 18, 2010 after finding out in August the he had a rare cancer. We both loved Star Wars and he had a particular connection to rabbits as they are portrayed in movies, books and gaming.

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For me, being without my best friend for the rest of my life makes me very angry, among other emotions. Some days I feel ruthless and wish for a menacing helmet to wear as I move through the masses. However, we have a 3 year old little boy named Milo, who is the spark of my life even more so now. He has lost his father and I want no other harm to come to him. As if he was a little bunny, I have to learn how to move through this new life with a sense of maternal nurturing as well as defense and protection.

Read the full interview on StarWars.com »

To learn more about Kelly Kerrigan and see more of her paintings, visit her blog at kellykerrigan.blogspot.com.

The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) has rallied up enough support to ban animal testing on cosmetics made in the EU.  In addition, a marketing ban on products sold in Europe that carry out animal testing outside of the EU is supposed to be put into place in 2013.  However, some people in the cosmetics industry are pushing to delay this deadline for possibly 10 more years.

To ensure that the marketing ban will go into effect in 2013, you can sign the petition at No Cruel Cosmetics.

Johna Mennone from the North Georgia House Rabbit Society shares some tips with Charles Barkley as he holds one of the shelter bunnies.

Two volunteers and two bunnies from the North Georgia House Rabbit Society visited with basketball greats Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Chris Webber on the show “Inside the NBA” to share some bunny facts on Easter Sunday.

Watch the Video on NBA.com »

[via House Rabbit Society]

Johna Mennone with Beethoven at the North Georgia House Rabbit Society. Photo by Jon-Michael Sullivan, Marietta Daily Journal.

The North Georgia House Rabbit Society provides care for 25-30 rabbits in their shelter in Marietta, GA.  In addition, a network of GHRS volunteers provide foster homes for up to 150 more rabbits.  And these numbers increase every year after Easter, when people realize they aren’t prepared for the 10+ year commitment rabbit ownership can be.

An article in the Marietta Daily Journal describes how one North Georgia House Rabbit Society volunteer was introduced to rabbits and rabbit rescue:

“It was two years ago when Johna Mennone of Kennesaw kept seeing a grayish-brown rabbit in her yard. One day, when she threw it some vegetables, it did something suspicious: It came hopping to her.

“That’s when Mennone suspected she wasn’t dealing with any ordinary wild rabbit. In fact, as she latter learned, the bunny was domesticated and one of too many that rabbit advocates like the east Cobb-based Georgia House Rabbit Society say are abandoned around Easter.”

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Rabbits good pets but not best gifts

Photo by Linda Cullivan, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region

In an effort to bolster New England cottontail numbers, wildlife biologists have captured five cottontails from stable populations in eastern Connecticut and will transfer them to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island as part of a breeding program.  The offspring, once old enough, will be radio collared and released into Rhode Island. If the program is successful, they will release the young into other New England states as well.

It’s strange to think that such a prolific animal could be in danger of extinction, but the New England cottontail population has been dwindling for quite some time now due to loss of habitat (shrubby, “early successional” habitat) and competition with larger, hardier Eastern cottontails (which are not native to the region).

For more information, see: The Day.

Anastasia, one of several rabbits under the care of Rabbit Rescue, Inc. who is up for adoption.

A couple months ago, we posted about a Canadian rabbit rescue in the running for a large grant.  The results are in, and Rabbit Rescue, Inc. of Ontario won the runner up prize of $10,000 with 9,300 votes!

The funding comes at a time when the rabbit charity will need the extra support.  Year after year, Easter marks a time when people purchase bunnies for their young children without fully understanding the responsibility and commitment of owning a rabbit.  The majority of these impulse buys end up in shelters and rescues.

For more information, see:

InsideHalton.com
Rabbit Rescue, Inc.

Betty from Rescue Glamour Shots designs free, downloadable greeting cards, calendars, and more featuring photos of rescued rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and hamsters.  The idea is to create fun products while spreading the word about various rescue organizations. You can find all the available designs on the Rescue Glamour Shots downloads page.

If you are associated with a rescue, you can even send in a photo of one of your adoptables and Betty will design a card with your rescue’s web address on it!

Rose Ann Goins with two of the twenty rescued rabbits. Photo Nancy Rokos, Burlington County Times.

A good Samaritan rescued 20 rabbits who were dumped in a storm drain in the town of Cinnaminson, New Jersey this past weekend. A neighbor had called Rose Ann Goins, an animal lover who’d previously had a pet rabbit for 10 years, saying that hawks were circling around a congregation of bunnies nearby. Goins took the rabbits into her home and contacted the Animal Welfare Association, a no-kill shelter who will care for the bunnies until they can be adopted out.

For more information, see:

PhillyBurbs.com
Animal Welfare Association

Have you heard? Today is Petfinder’s Adopt the Internet Day! Raise awareness about animal adoption in the following ways:

• Tell/text/email people you know
• Post to your Facebook and/or Twitter account(s)
• Write on your website/blog

For more information, see our previous post on the subject.

The University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences is conducting a study of how rabbits are cared for in the UK.

According to Dr. Emily Blackwell, a member of the research team: “We are keen to hear from rabbit owners about all aspects of their rabbit’s life as very little is currently known about the way pet rabbits are kept in the UK. We want to know where rabbits live, how they behave, what they eat and how healthy they are, as well as how they interact with their owners.”

If you live in the UK and own a rabbit, go to www.survey.bris.ac.uk/awb/rabbitsurvey to complete the survey. Everyone who fills it out will have the opportunity to win 100 pounds.