Instead of buying a pet bunny this Easter, an animal rescue society hopes people will come and hang out with their staff and get in some bunny time.
On April 1, Rabbitats Rescue Society is hosting its annual Easter BunnyFest to raise awareness about bunnies.
“Unwanted Easter bunnies are a prolific cause of the massive overrun of abandoned rabbits in the Lower Mainland,” says Rabbitats founder Sorelle Saidman.
Kids and adults can learn more about rabbits at the event, which takes place at noon at the Scottish Cultural Centre in South Vancouver.
Rabbitats, a Richmond-based society, strongly encourages people to adopt sterilized rabbits from rescues or shelters. It's asking the public not to buy one.
“Rescue and control agencies are already stretched way beyond their limits with post-COVID surrender requests," says Saidman.
Rabbits can give birth every 31 days. Saidman explains that rescue organizations will not be able to accommodate more rabbits if a rabbit purchased at Easter is eventually unwanted.
Last month, a woman found three young lop-eared bunnies abandoned in a box in Vancouver’s West End. Rabbitats rescued and cared for them.
“Rabbits released into the environment do damage and they are routinely hit by cars and attacked by predators. They usually survive less than a year, but they outbreed the predators,” says Saidman.
Adopting a bunny from a place like Rabbitats provides the opportunity for people to foster rabbits before adopting them to make sure they’re the right fit.
Tickets for the Easter BunnyFest are a minimum $5 donation. All proceeds support the Rabbitats Rescue Society.
