Phoenix receiving oxygen after suffering from smoke inhalation. Photo by Trish Johnson.

Earlier this week in Katy, TX, a house fire killed three women and left their 23 pet rabbits stranded. The flames didn’t reach the rabbits, who were caged on the back porch, but the bunnies did suffer from smoke inhalation.  Animal rescue group Special Pals took the rabbits in and treated their respiratory ailments.

According to Yvonne David, Executive Director at Special Pals, “A fireman brought me one rabbit who did not appear to be breathing. I gave him CPR, and the EMS personnel supplied him with oxygen. All of sudden he ‘came to’ and started breathing on his own. We’re calling him Phoenix.”

All the rabbits are recovering and will be up for adoption soon. You can also help by donating fresh produce to Special Pals.

For more info:
Ultimate Katy
Special Pals

The tiny island of Okunoshima was once home to a major poisonous gas facility for the Imperial Army during World War II. The island, only 4 kilometers in circumference, had even been removed from Japanese maps for a period of time for security purposes. Once the war ended, the island was deserted. In 1971, a teacher from the nearby city of Takehara abandoned the school’s pet rabbits in Okunoshima. Now, the island is host 300 feral rabbits.

With 2011 being the Year of the Rabbit, many tourists are making their way to the little island to see the furry inhabitants.

For more info, see:
Wired.com
Japan Probe

In celebration of the upcoming Year of the Rabbit, Canada Post is launching a beautiful new stamp January 7, 2011.  The design, which emulates a Chinese embroidery style, features the front part of a rabbit hopping behind the feet of another. When the stamps are side by side, they line up so the rabbits “chase” each other in the chain.

For more info: Canada Post

If you use a microscope, you can just barely make out a rabbit eating a carrot in a resin figurine created by Taiwanese artist Chen Forng-shean.  The sculpture, made in honor of the upcoming Chinese Year of the Rabbit, is .02 inch long and sits atop an eye of a needle.  It’s 1/20th the size of an average grain of rice. It’s also delicately painted.

When Chen Forng-shean isn’t creating teeny tiny sculptures, he works at Taiwan’s Central Engraving and Printing Plant as a money printing plate designer.

For more info about the miniature rabbit sculpture, see: NTD Television.

To see more of Chen Forng-shean’s work, see: International Exhibition of Calligraphy.

Amy Sedaris’s pet mini-rex rabbit, Dusty, was recently listed on Sugar Slam’s list of the most famous celebrity pets. Dusty has popped up in the actress/comedienne’s work from time to time, with mentions in her books and a feature role in the Microsoft ad below:

Sedaris is a spokesperson for the House Rabbit Society, and Dusty enjoys free reign in her Manhattan apartment.

Paul Spereall with rabbit he discovered in trash bin. Photo by Jason Roberts.

In the past week, there have been multiple incidents of pet rabbits being discovered out with the curbside trash.

In Birkenhead, England (across the river from Liverpool), window workers Paul Spereall and  Paul Harvey went to toss a piece of garbage into one of the bins on the side of the road.  When they opened the lid, a cream-colored lop-eared rabbit jumped out at them.  The two men brought the rabbit back to their office and cared for it while they contacted the RSPCA.  The rabbit was dehydrated, but otherwise is good condition.

In Regina, Saskatchewan, the Hamel family discovered a pet bunny in a recycle bin out on the street with some hay and pellets.  With temperatures dipping to -16°F (-29°C) that night, the Hamels saved the bunny from a frigid demise.  After caring for the abandoned rabbit for the night, the Hamels contacted the Regina Humane Society.

This rabbit was discovered in recycle bin by Hamel family. Photo by Hamel family.

It is incredibly sad that stories of rabbits being abandoned out with the trash (or just set loose outside) keep popping up.  These two rabbits were lucky that a few good Samaritans discovered them, cared for them, and brought them to local shelters so they’d have a chance at a good life.

For more info, see:

Liverpool Echo
Leader-Post

When Anderson Cooper went to the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa to visit with Dr. Susan Savage-Rumbaugh and the resident bonobos, things took an interesting turn. Using lexigrams, a symbol-based communication system, one of the bonobos named Panbanisha requested that Anderson bring them surprises while dressed up as a bunny.

See screenshots of Anderson dressed up as the bunny below:

Anderson Cooper at the Great Ape Trust dressed as a bunny upon the request of one of the bonobos.

Watch the whole video here:

20 rabbits were rescued from these dirty cages in Burrillville.

Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue, based in Foster, RI, recently came to the rescue of 20 rabbits, 7 chickens, and 3 ducks who were living in deplorable conditions in Burrillville, RI.  The animals were severely malnourished, contained in dirty cages outside with no food or water.  There were bodies of dead rabbits in the cages as well; some had succumbed to starvation, others cannibalism.

Under the care of veteran rabbit rescuer Pamela Hood and the team of Sweet Binks volunteers, the rabbits have made significant progress in the past 10 days, gaining an average of two pounds each. 

However, Sweet Binks needs your help!  One of the rescued rabbits gave birth to 8 babies the other day, bringing the total number of rabbits from the cruelty case to 28.  If you would like to help Sweet Binks, you can make a donation through their website.

After just one day, the rescued rabbits can relax in a warm, clean environment.

For more information, see:
Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue
Turnto10.com

For all UK rabbit owners: the RSPCA wants to hear from you!

Rabbits are the third most popular pet in Britain, and many end up in shelters across the country. The RSPCA is launching a campaign to improve rabbit welfare, and the first step is gathering information about rabbits and their owners currently.

So if you live in the UK, own a rabbit, and care about rabbit welfare, take the survey here: Great Big Rabbit Survey.

If you participate, you can download a free rabbit screensaver and enter a free prize draw for rabbit food and supplies.

Well, sort of. There aren’t any ferocious beasts of Monty Python caliber, but rabbits are being blamed for munched-on wires in the Denver Airport parking lot.

Dexter Meyer had parked his new Volkswagen Jetta in the airport parking lot while away on a nine day vacation. Upon his return, Meyer was greeted with blinking lights when he started his car. A trip to the dealership found that wires had been chewed through. The mechanic suggested a rabbit was the culprit because he had seen a few cars brought in from the airport with chewed wires.

The airport has a fence around the lot, but apparently the rabbits are too sneaky to be kept out by it. If those wild rabbits are anything like our two troublemakers wires are too tempting to not be chomped.

For more visit Denver’s 9 News.