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Buying Rabbits as a Gift/Charity for Africa.....welfare issues?

Herbert'sMum

Warren Scout
http://www.hopeandhomes.org/futuregifts/RabbitRabbit.html

With reference to the above link, I understand the thought process behind this, but was just wondering what others thought? I am concerned that the company offering this 'gift' has not fully investigated the welfare of the rabbits in question......and as for being 'low maintenance', that says it all! I have voiced my concerns and am awaiting a response, however, I wonder whether I am being over sensitive.

I have posted this in the welfare section too.
 
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I emailed expressing concerns that the rabbits would be uncomfortable in the African climate, would not be given the diet they needed for their teeth to remain healthy and that inbreeding would cause health issues meaning the rabbits could be living in pain.
 
I emailed expressing concerns that the rabbits would be uncomfortable in the African climate, would not be given the diet they needed for their teeth to remain healthy and that inbreeding would cause health issues meaning the rabbits could be living in pain.

Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels uncomfortable about this.
 
I can't see the problem with it? Rabbits actually originate from North Africa if I am correct, and there are rabbits who live wild Australia? I remember watching a geography clip on a poor african family who kept bunnies as food, and they had masses of space, and got fed natural shrubs.
 
I can't see the problem with it? Rabbits actually originate from North Africa if I am correct, and there are rabbits who live wild Australia? I remember watching a geography clip on a poor african family who kept bunnies as food, and they had masses of space, and got fed natural shrubs.

I think seeing the beautiful domestic rabbits in the picture and then thinking of them being sent to Africa to be bred and killed that upsets me. I guess thats just real life though.
 
I've always felt a bit dubious about these schemes... Sure a family gets an animal, but they also have to pay to look after that animal until they are able to use it for food. How are they supposed to afford that as well as feeding their family in the mean time?
 
I do have a problem with this actally.
Especially if these ar domestic rabbits bred in the UK...
 
I think seeing the beautiful domestic rabbits in the picture and then thinking of them being sent to Africa to be bred and killed that upsets me. I guess thats just real life though.


yeah I know, I understand what you mean :( But the way they say this -
This furry gift is not only low in cost and maintenance but they also increase their numbers effortlessly!
doesn't put it nicely to the public :(
 
I do have a problem with this actally.
Especially if these ar domestic rabbits bred in the UK...

I am pretty sure they would be bred from the countries they originate from. It would cost ALOT more than £12 to import a rabbit to Africa!

They are good schemes though... for families who are poor and can't get the protien in their diet its a good way of dealing with it. I would have thought rabbits would be fed on natural vegetation that they find, and probably maize as thats what I see alot of bunnies being fed on in poor countries :( Maize is pretty cheap! I know its not ideal, but I think these schemes need to have education and maintainence attached to them.
 
i dont see the problem, as i dont buy into the vegan/environmentalist "livestock are bad" argument (i'm aware thats extreme paraphrasing!). The rabbits are bred locally usually, so no issues with climate etc. No, they're not kept like our domestic rabbits, dont have the same space or diets, but they are for food not pets. Poeple given animals on these schemes are taught very carefully how to care for them and they take great pride in their animals as they have to little. i think comparatively speaking, rearing some rabbits is a small expense/effort compared to the benefit they gain. Its not the same perspective as we have on the issue, but i dont see anything wrong with it. The pic on the website is misleading tho, implying its a domestic rabbit in a hutch that is donated.
 
My husbands family live in west africa, they have kept rabbits his whole life and for all I know for generations. Yes they do eat them, but that's just the reality of africa. They don't have supermarkets on every corner like we do, most people keep animals to eat. it DOES NOT mean they are treated cruelly. Infact in my husbands family they had a massive cage outside with at least 2 levels, and were let out in a massive courtyard to run around. When millions of people die of starvation in Africa every year, especially children I think people should keep things in perspective. When we in the west are so comfortably well off food wise, it seems slightly mean to deny african families 2 rabbits! I was vegetarian 8 years, still don't eat red meat, never eaten rabbit, never intend too but I can certainly see the benefit in a scheme like this!
 
It would still be more efficient to grow food and directly eat that than to feed it to animals and then eat the animals. As always when you convert one form of energy into another some of it is lost. And this won't help starving people because if people really are starving then they wouldn't be able to afford to keep animals humanely, the animals end up starving too as soon as their is a drought or food shortage.
 
It would still be more efficient to grow food and directly eat that than to feed it to animals and then eat the animals. As always when you convert one form of energy into another some of it is lost. And this won't help starving people because if people really are starving then they wouldn't be able to afford to keep animals humanely, the animals end up starving too as soon as their is a drought or food shortage.

good quality protein is hard to come by out there - my mum was a missionary for many years in Rwanda and surrounding countries. the feasibility of these gift is assessed - its got to work out as a project so the families must be able to keep the animals effectively. same goes for the cows etc - they're not given fat jerseys or anything! they have to have water sorces and grazing etc for it to work.
 
I think this is a complete load of rubbish and I wouldn't waste my money! There's hardly any meat on a domestic rabbit anyway. The money could be better sepent elsewhere.
 
It would still be more efficient to grow food and directly eat that than to feed it to animals and then eat the animals. As always when you convert one form of energy into another some of it is lost. And this won't help starving people because if people really are starving then they wouldn't be able to afford to keep animals humanely, the animals end up starving too as soon as their is a drought or food shortage.

When your in the type of situation that many people are you need protein, especially children.Having a vgetarian diet I doubt would be advisable. Also Rabbits eat things that humans don't, i.e leaves, .which Africa has plenty off. Even if there isn't a drought etc,people are still poor. Also many countres do not have soil as we have, it can be very sandy.So things that are native will grow, but many things you could eat won't take well ie potatoes. They already have rabbits in africa. They just do things dfferently, ie when i seen a herd of cows grazing it wasn't from grass, rather they were reaching to trees above them.
 
good quality protein is hard to come by out there - my mum was a missionary for many years in Rwanda and surrounding countries. the feasibility of these gift is assessed - its got to work out as a project so the families must be able to keep the animals effectively. same goes for the cows etc - they're not given fat jerseys or anything! they have to have water sorces and grazing etc for it to work.

I agree with this, I can't speak for the whole of Africa, but I know where my husband comes from they eat meat once a year. If they are lucky. Fish use to be cheap and plentiful but since european and japanese boats have depleted the fish stock it is now to expensive to buy, and they may share a whole fish between 10 people. Yes I feel sorry for the rabbits being kept for food, (same as here actually). But I feel more sorry for the people suffering.
 
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