Back in November, I posted about Ethel, the disabled lop-eared rabbit in England who was fitted for a wheelchair.  Here is a video showing Ethel, and owner Zoe.

Ethel, a lop-eared rabbit from the UK, lost the use of her hind legs after falling ill. Zoe Holbourne, her owner, decided to give her rabbit another chance at mobility and ordered a custom wheelchair from Dogs to Go, a Texas company that makes carts for disabled pets. It was the first wheelchair the company had shipped to the UK.

According to Holbourne, “At first she struggled to keep her balance and kept tipping over, but she soon got to grips with it, especially on flat surfaces. Now she loves it. The wheelchair is very effective and it stops moving as soon as she wants it to. It doesn’t roll along when she is standing still.”

I have seen disabled bunnies using carts before, but I’m not sure how common it is.  From what I’ve seen, some people have been able to build their own bunny wheelchairs, and there are several companies that can custom build them as well, including:

• Dogs to Go
• K-9 Carts
• Eddie’s Wheels

Here’s a video of Blueberry, a disabled rabbit at the Toronto Humane Society, using a cart.

For more info: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3483678/NEEDSPICDisabled-rabbit-gets-wheelchair.html

PETCO announced today that it is phasing out its rabbit sales.  Instead, the chain of pet stores is expanding its rabbit adoption efforts across the US.  According to PETCO CEO Jim Myers,  “Rabbits are great companion animals, and we believe PETCO can play a pivotal role in partnering with animal-welfare groups to connect responsible pet parents with happy, healthy neutered rabbits through in-store adoptions nationwide.”

The shift in policy is welcoming news to the thousands of rabbit rescues overrun with abandoned bunnies in need of forever homes.

For more info: http://www.petconews.com/2008/11/petco-moves-to-adoption-only-for.html

Back in December, I posted about the feral rabbit population explosion in the Canadian city of Kelowna, British Columbia. Since then, the city has gone back and forth on how to handle the problem.  After complaints about the inhumane culling of the rabbits by use of air rifles, the city changed its approach.  Currently the city has turned to trapping the feral bunnies, and then putting them up for adoption.

The Responsible Animal Care Society (TRACS), who has been active in saving the rabbits, has sponsored many fundraising events. Their latest is a benefit concert featuring Elvis impersonator D.R. Elvis happening on Saturday, November 1.

For more information: http://www.tracs-bc.ca/bunfund.html

Warner Bros. will be releasing a deluxe DVD offering of Watership Down in November of this year to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the film’s release. Watership Down is a great story for anyone, not just a bunny fan.  If you’ve never read the book, this summer would be a great time to get around to it.

Big Buck Bunny is a recently released film about a large bunny and his run in with some pesky forest creatures.  What is interesting about this film is that it was released online in addition to DVD under a Creative Commons License, making it free to distribute. So go and watch it. If you like it you can purchase the DVD.

More info.

Here’s a cute video about the pika, the other member of the order Lagomorpha besides the rabbit and the hare. The video, which features David Attenborough, depicts a pika collecting poisonous plants for winter. The poison acts as a preservative, so later in the winter months, the poison will wear off and the plant will be fresh and edible.

Here is a short film promoting Microsoft Word 2007 that stars Amy Sedaris, her black and white mini rex, Dusty, and a bunch of other cute rabbits. I love the rabbit typing on the keyboard…

This video has been around for a little while now, but it still cracks me up. The man’s jubilant “YESSS!” accompanied by the double fist pump when his rabbit jumps over the hurdle is hilarious. But, apparently this was the winning high jump of 33.5 inches in the 2002 Danish Championship.