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Different attitudes towards bunnies

luvabun

Warren Veteran
I've just returned from a holiday where my brother and I were volunteering at a rescue and rehabilitation animal centre in a foreign country.

I admire and respect the work they do to rehabilitate endangered animals and it was a priviledge to care for these, knowing that in 3-4 years time, they would be free.

What tainted the experience however, was the following. They breed rabbits as live food for the jaguars, ocelots and other big cats :(. The rational is that it's no use just throwing chicken legs etc. into the pen, they have to use live animals so that the jaguars etc. learn to hunt. :( Such an unfair contest :(. I have told the organisation in no uncertain terms that the conditions the rabbits were kept in was totally unsuitable. Wire mesh flooring did not allow the bunnies to exhibit natural behaviour by hopping etc.
I told them that they had a duty to properly care for all animals and not have a two tier system i.e. excellent conditions for ones due for rehabilitation and **** conditions for ones bred for food.

I doubt it will make a difference and am saddened that a wonderful experience has been been tainted. I will certainly due extremely thorough research before carrying out such a venture again.

I really want to remember the monkeys clinging and jumping all over me, the parrots pecking my head and neck, the totally weird and wonderful creatures I saw.... but in the background I see the bunnies :(
 
Oh hun, i cant even imagine how bad that would have been!
Shame that it spoiled the experience, what a rubbish thing for you to witness!

When i was at South Lakes Safari park (i know, no comparison really) i was admiring the tigers, i noticed one was eating something and then i nearly was sick when i realised it was a bunny, so goodness knows how you managed where you were!
 
That's so sad.
My first instinct would be to expose what they are doing in the local and national press as they probably rely heavily on donations and a bit of negative publicity might at least 'encourage' them to provide better conditions for the rabbits.
 
South Lakes - is that the one at Barrow? I've been there and thought how good it was.

The press would not be interested as in their culture, they're doing nothing wrong - they are attempting to save an endangered species. Plus wire bottomed cages are pretty commonplace in places like the US so it's hard to convince them that they are wrong. This is an area of the world where 1 in 4 homes has a wild animal as a pet and it's estimated that 19 die in transit for every 1 that survives :(.

They do rely very heavily on donations and someone donated to them after I helped him out at work. I did tell them that I would not be encouraging such acts in future due to their poor treatment of rabbits. Doubt it will make a jot of difference.
 
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