It's often around Easter time that families think about getting a cute and cuddly bunny for a child as a family pet. It’s great for a while, but after half-a-year to eight months, many of the cute little bunnies turn into big unwanted rabbits and usually wind up in shelters.
And—often just before they are euthanized—they are rescued by BunnyLuv.
“Easter is a terrible time for bunnies,” said Jody Springborn, the health associate for the BunnyLuv Rabbit Resource Center, located in Van Nuys. "People just don't know what kind of commitment it is."
The more than 130 bunnies that in the air conditioned non-descript warehouse-like area near the Van Nuys Airport were all within days, sometimes hours, of being terminated at shelters throughout Los Angeles. Some have come from large rescues where they were found at an improper breeding place. About 45 young ones came in last November from a Glendale stable and are now being readied for adoption.
Bunnies are not necessarily good for children, but they can make good pets.
“They’re not like the Walt Disney characters you see,” Springborn said. “They’re cute, but they’re not always cuddly. In fact, they’re very shy.”
They do like carrots, but not always—it’s like a treat. They mostly eat hay.
The Center is a non-profit, no-kill rabbit rescue shelter that not only cares for, but educates the general public about taking care of rabbits.
“Our mission is to rescue rabbits from the municipal shelters when they are red-listed and due to be euthanized,” said Kim Brinkley. “We have a lot of rabbits that all need to be adopted.”
The rabbits at the Center are not the kind you see out in the wild. In fact, domestic and wild rabbits do not breed well, and to release a domestic rabbit into the wild is simply cruel. The rabbit will not know how to find food, and fall very quickly to prey.
Brinkley added, “People are not aware of the huge rabbit overpopulation problem and the plight of rabbits.”
The Center is opened Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Mondays and Fridays. Call 818-988-4488 or go to www.bunnyluv.org.
Click here for another story about the shelter, watch the videos and see photos in the gallery above, and check back tomorrow to see if a bunny is a good pet for you.
* Visit Your Local Bunny Ranch—Right Here in Van Nuys!
* Is a Bunny the Right Pet for You?
