As a Rabbitats‘ volunteer approached the city shelter, she noticed a little lop on the side of the road. The rabbit sat motionless, scared, not knowing what to do, making it easy to be picked up.
The volunteer took the rabbit into the shelter, confused at where this obviously domestic rabbit came from. Unlikely, but perhaps she escaped from the shelter?
Of course, the real reason the bunny was there is not as harmless as a simple escape. Turns out a women had walked into the shelter with the rabbit only minutes before trying to surrender the bunny. When the shelter turned them down because they were at capacity and had a waiting list for surrenders, the lady resorted to dumping the bunny to fend for itself.
The poor bunny had some urinary issues, with a bum covered in urine and feces, and was terribly thin, so she was immediately sent to the vet.
Many shelters and rescues are overflowing with unwanted animals, and thus they have to constantly turn away surrenders. Regardless, that is not a valid reason for dumping your pet.
Besides being illegal, dumping your pet rabbit is extremely cruel. They are not made for a life in the wild. With no access to veterinary care, no fresh water, very little access to nutritious food, and predators galore, domestic rabbits left in the wild are left for dead.
Instead of dumping your rabbit, try to rehome your pet. Reach out to your network of family and friends. Reach out to all the animal rescues in your local area. There are also many Facebook groups dedicated to rehoming animals. Dumping your domestic rabbit into the wild is not a solution.
Article written by:
Sasha is an animal welfare advocate and bunny-momma of four! She has a Bachelors of Science in Applied Biology, Honours, from the University of British Columbia. She specialized in animal biology, welfare, and conservation. When she is not doing research or working on her computer, she can be found exploring the Pacific Northwest looking for birds!
