Rabbits at the Fair

I'm not a fair goer usually--expensive to take 6 kids, unsafe ride fears, bees and flies--but any way, we went to the fair in the next town because that's the only close place to look at bunnies to get. Anyhow, it was awful! From Tuesday through today, all these bunnies are in tiny little wire cages in a barn. No hay, no relief from the wire, only one rabbit (a huge long haired giant) had a small frozen water bottle to play with and cool down slightly with, some of them couldn't even stretch out while lying down, all of them panting to cool themselves, nothing for them to do and no room to do anything. Is this what fairs are usually like??? Isn't there a humane way of showing rabbits?? Tell me this isn't the common practice!

Hi There!

That does sound awful and very cruel. Is it hot in Pennsylvania? If so that would make these conditions even worse!

I'm not sure what your (USA) fairs are like, but I've never really heard of fairs like these in the UK. There are farmers fairs where they show animals as well and veg etc, but I've never heard of animals at fun fairs (except giving gold fish away as prizes :evil: but that's another story!)

Is there anyway you could contact the organisers and state your concerns?

Yes, it has been very hot here lately--upper 80'sF and into the 90's and high humidity--so the rabbits were very unhappy. This seems to be the way they do the rabbit parts of fairs around here. Lots of rides, tons of fair food vendors, a lot of crafts and floral arrangements and quilts and paintings and vegetables in rooms in the school, a barn for pigs, goats, cows in stalls and a barn for rabbits and guinea pigs in tiny cages 3 or four high. The breeders bring their bunnies in big multicompartment cages with no room to turn around (some come from a couple hours or more away) and then unload them into these small cages about 18-24 inches wide by 12-18 inches high by 18 inches deep, no hay, no bedding, just some pellets and water. The fairs usually last a week so the animals endure these conditions for that whole time as none may be sold or removed until the close of the fair. I found it very hard to see without getting upset. Sorry I didn't respond earlier--I forgot about this post in the excitement of getting Puzzle!