BY Kaija Jussinoja
SPECIAL FOR SALTWIRE NETWORK
Animal lovers recently had a very special opportunity.
People gathered to interact with more than a dozen fluffy friends at the Citadel Community Centre as part of a “Bunny Adoption Blitz.” The event was hosted by the Halifax organization 10,000 Carrots Rabbit Rescue.
Jason Francis attended the adoption blitz to find a friend for his rabbit, Bobert. Francis and his wife fell in love with and adopted a bunny named Robert that was surrendered to 10,000 Carrots by a family who didn’t feed him enough. Francis renamed him Bobert because of his “really big head.” “It stands for big-headed Robert,” Francis said, “and he’s a well-fed boy now.”
Bobert is litter trained and has free reign to roam the house. Bobert enjoys going on camping trips with his family and cuddles on the couch.
“Bobert’s just super cute, and he has the attitude,” Francis said, “he’ll give you side eye if you don’t do what he wants.”
After letting the rabbits interact with each other, Francis and Bobert left the adoption blitz with a new friend in tow, named Mae.
Greg Torrey also found a new addition to the family after his rabbit, Peanut, bonded with a rescue named Gilmore. Peanut is “the boss of the house” and loves to play with Torrey’s dog and cats.
10,000 Carrots is the Maritimes’ first rabbit rescue, and the team has rescued and found a home for more than 700 rabbits in Nova Scotia. The organization does not have a physical shelter, so the bunnies are held in foster homes with volunteers. The adoption blitz is a way for potential adoptive families to meet the rescued animals in person.
Tammy MacDonald-Flatt is a veterinary technician who founded 10,000 Carrots 10 years ago after two kids brought her a rabbit they found outside. She realized animal shelters don’t take many rabbits into their care, and rabbits are frequently abandoned.
MacDonald-Flatt said the biggest myth surrounding rabbits is they can be abandoned into the wild if you no longer want to take care of them. Domestic rabbits left to their own devices in the wild are vulnerable to predators and struggle to find food.
One rabbit, Turnip, was found in a ditch with 65 ticks around her eyes and in kidney failure. The organization was able to rehabilitate her, which included a leg amputation and a custom rabbit-sized wheelchair and found her an “amazing” home.
Emma Lacey is a bunny-owner who said she has seen upwards of 25 rabbits hopping around on the street in her hometown of Bridgewater.
“It’s hard to convince people that these are domestic rabbits, not wild rabbits,” she said.
Nova Scotia doesn’t have any native wild rabbits, only hares.
“They’re like your cat or your dog, they have personalities,” Lacey said, “imagine releasing your cat or your dog.”
Lacey emphasized the need for prospective owners to do their research and understand rabbits aren’t a novelty gift for Easter time, they are a family pet that can live up to 15 years.
“If you show them love and show them that they’re safe, they’re going to love you so much. My rabbit loves me more than a dog ever could,” Lacey said.
There are no laws in Nova Scotia protecting rabbits. The protections in place for farmed animals such as cows and pigs do not apply to rabbits, even though they are farmed in Nova Scotia. The protections that exist for pets such as dogs and cats do not apply to rabbits either, putting them in a “horrible gray area,” according to MacDonald-Flatt.
“Not only are they not protected overall, but they are the most exploited,” MacDonald-Flatt said.
“People tend to think they’re disposable,” Tracy Mitchell, a volunteer with 10,000 Carrots said, “they wouldn’t hurt anything, but people are constantly hurting them. It frustrates us.”
10,000 Carrots holds education sessions to challenge the misconceptions about domestic rabbits and hosts letter-writing campaigns to try and change the laws surrounding rabbits in Nova Scotia.
