Baskets for Bunnies is a new nonprofit organization that assists rabbit rescues with supplies and funds. Founded by Gretta Parker, the organization hopes to take some of the fundraising burden off shelters, so they can focus their attention on rescuing more bunnies.

This year, they have chosen seven rescues to aid:

• Zooh Corner, San Gabriel CA
• Little Furries Rescue, Brown Mills, NJ
• Gainesville Rabbit Rescue, Gainesville, FL
• Funny Bunny Sanctuary, Athens, WV
• Bunny Castle, Bishop CA
• Ohio House Rabbit Rescue, Columbus, OH
• Frisky Ferrets, Fuzzies, & Feathered Friends Rescue & Sanctuary, Youngstown, OH

In the future, Parker plans to expand Baskets for Bunnies to include a spay/neuter program and to support rescues internationally.

If you are interested in learning more about Baskets for Bunnies, the rescues they support, or donating, please visit them at their website or  find them on Facebook.

Haviva Lush, founder of Rabbit Rescue, Inc. and daughter Anika help Pipkin with his new prosthetic bucket. Photo by Graham Paine/Canadian Champion.

Special needs bunny Pipkin was taken in by Haviva Lush,  founder of the Canadian charity Rabbit Rescue, five years ago.  Pipkin was born with several issues: his front legs were splayed, he was missing a hip joint, and one hind leg was shorter than the other (and was later amputated).

Yet despite all this, Pipkin’s temperament remained surprisingly happy.  So when the opportunity arose to be fitted with a prosthetic bucket to help stabilize him and keep him upright, Pipkin was a great candidate.

The device was created by Dr. Joyce Olynich, a Toronto-based vet who specializes in prostheses. It was the first prosthetic bucket made for a rabbit in Canada.

To learn more about Pipkin’s story, see InsideHalton.

The British government is considering replacing current lab animal regulations with a new EU directive that offers less protection.  Adopting the EU law could result in reduced inspections in labs, less oversight by ethical committees, inhumane methods of killing,  and an increase in suffering by lab animals in the UK.

Every year approximately 10,138 rabbits are used in experiments in the UK.  These animals need your help.  If 10,000 people raise their voices by September 5th and urge the British government to say no to the EU law,  this could prevent a huge step back in animal welfare in the UK.  If you live in the UK, you can say no to the consultation by clicking here.

To learn more about the campaign, visit Give Animals a Voice.

Three rabbits from the Manitoulin Island mass rescue. Photo: Henry Stancu/Toronto Star

Over 200 rabbits were rescued from a home on Manitoulin Island, an island in Lake Huron in the province of Ontario. The Ontario SPCA, Rabbit Rescue, and other animal organizations rushed in to provide medical attention and find new homes for the bunnies.

The mass rescue is an enormous undertaking, and there are several ways you can help these organizations help the rabbits:

• Donate financially  – Costs from medical attention, food, housing, and other supplies quickly add up.

If you live in Ontario,

• Volunteer to foster- Finding temporary homes for this many rabbits can be challenging.
• Donate supplies – Donations of carriers, x-pens, neat idea cubes, food and other supplies are appreciated.
• Adopt – Consider adoption if you can provide a forever home for any of these rabbits.

To learn more, see:

• Rabbit Rescue website
• Ontario SPCA
• Guelph Mercury
• The Star

If you adopt a Flat Bonnie in the month of June, 20% of sales will be donated to the House Rabbit Society!

Buy Flat Bonnie at Etsy!

After a Florida rabbit breeder appeared on the news saying she was broke and would be forced to sell all 79 of her rabbits to a zoo as snake food, first euthanizing them with a homemade gas chamber, several rabbit rescues came together to help. The rescues raised money to provide the woman with the $8/bunny that was promised by the zoo and picked the bunnies up yesterday to be transported to various foster homes and shelters throughout the eastern US.

See the original news story of the breeder and a followup story.

Although the rescues have raised enough money for the “bailout”, they still need donations to reimburse costs for transportation, spay and neuter, and general care of these rabbits. Learn more about this rescue mission and donate to their cause at BunnyTransport.com.

Organizations involved with this mass rescue are:

• Little Miracles Rabbit Rescue
• Gainesville Rabbit Rescue
• Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue
• Clover Patch Rabbit Sanctuary
• Little Furries Rescue & Referral
• Animal Welfare Association
• Humane Society Naples
• Luv-A-Bun Rabbit Rescue

Marie Mead’s Rabbits: Gentle Hearts, Valiant Spirits, a beautiful book filled with uplifting stories about rescued rabbits, has gotten even better!  A revised edition, being released this month, contains five new stories and two new articles.

From the author:

The impetus behind the revision is the excellent article titled “Modeling Love and Respect for a Classroom Rabbit,” written by elementary teacher Cheryl Rosemary Abbott. It provides interesting, down-to-earth guidance for teachers—and parents—about introducing children to a rabbit, bunny-proofing, rules for everyone’s safety, and the all-important issue of role-modeling love, respect, and responsibility.

You can purchase the book from the publisher or from Amazon.

To learn more about the book, visit:

Nova Maris Press
Celebrating Rabbits

Crystal & Christin, two adult female rabbits available for adoption from Alabama Ears.

Now that the excitement of Easter has started to subside, shelters and rabbit rescues will begin to be inundated with surrendered bunnies.  Now is the time to show your support for rabbit welfare and rescue!

Here are a few options:

• Donate to the national House Rabbit Society (which funds national education efforts and Emergency Rescue Grants)
• Donate to local rabbit rescues, including House Rabbit Society chapters
• If you are an experienced house rabbit owner and have the space, sign up with a local rescue to foster bunnies in your home
• Volunteer with your local rescue
• Donate supplies (hay, litter, puppy-pens, etc.) to your local rescue

You may also want to put focus on Alabama-based shelters (e.g. Alabama EARS or Huntsville Friends of Rabbits), who may have to accommodate rabbits displaced from the tornadoes in addition to the annual post-Easter influx.

John C. Doub feeds Rosemary the rabbit at Virginia Rabbit Inc. Photo by Bill Tiernan, The Virginian-Pilot.

Located on the second floor of a Mack truck dealership in Chesapeake, VA, Virginia Rabbit Inc. provides shelter to 45 homeless rabbits up for adoption.  The rescue is run on a daily basis by Ashleigh Watts and was founded by her father John C. Doub 10 years ago.

From an article in the Virginian-Pilot:

“The tear-jerker stories behind the rabbits are quite familiar to Watts. Many of them are labeled “Vacation neglect,” as folks will often drop their pet bunny off when leaving for vacation and never return to pick it up.

“Black and white Reggie was dumped with a broken leg. Pepper was kept in a 10-gallon fish tank. Silver’s previous diet was hot dog buns, leading to the removal of all of her teeth. Pooh Bear is blind. Doub and Watts care for each as if it was their only.”

Read the full article on HamptonRoads.com.

For more info on Virginia Rabbit Inc., see their website.

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.