Hi there,
This is my first post although I've been a long time lurker for my own bun, Fleur.
I'm an event planner by trade, and I've always been surprised that there's no rabbit version of crufts held anywhere in the country so I want to find out if there would be demand for one and if so, what the ideal bunny show would look like!
This is really early days for this idea, but i'd be grateful for your thoughts on if this would be a good idea, if you would be interested in attending such an event, and what you'd like to see at a rabbit event.
I've got my own ideas, but don't want to influence yours so I'll stay quiet for now
Many thanks!
Andy and Fleur
There is a large rabbit show that i guess is similar to crufts,
http://www.thesmallanimalshow.co.uk/ . Last time I went there was a huge hall with tiny pens full of purebred show rabbits, and in the next hall there were lots of trade stands selling hutches, accessories and things. Also a little petting area with friendly rabbits. There's a similar show in London too.
Those types of shows will draw in attention mostly from breeders. This forum is pro-rescue so the majority of people in it would not want to go to a show packed full of rabbits in 1ftx1ft cages. As jay mentioned, there are some incredibly unethical people who breed rabbits for exhibition too which is offputting. I used to occasionally take my rabbits to shows, but I soon realised they're no good for the rabbit, and is it worth it just for the owner to get a little rosette? What saddened me too is that when I got talking to some of the breeders that were winning most of the prizes, they admitted to killing non-show-worthy rabbits and keeping them in tiny cages (2x2 seemed very standard for mini lops, one man told me he kept his GIANTs in 3ft cages :evil: ). Not all of them are like that, and I did used to like seeing the beautiful variety of rabbit breeds, but I'm sure you can see why many people do not support these kind of shows.
My ideal rabbit event would have
- Lots of trade stands with people selling large hutches/sheds/runs, and lots of fun toys and treats for rabbits, particularly handmade/homegrown things that you can't get in the average pet shop
- Rescue organisations promoting their work, rabbits for adoption, volunteering opportunities etc
- Talks by specialist vets/animal behaviourists perhaps with demonstrations e.g. how to check your rabbits teeth at home
- No exhibition animals in tiny cages
I wouldn't mind there being rabbits at the show as long as they were comfortable, in a nice big enclosure and with plenty of hiding places, like runaround do at places like the London Pet Show. I know rabbits are prey animals but some of them are really not phased by travelling or being in loud places, plus I think seeing rabbits running around and playing through a system like runaround would encourage people to buy them more than an empty enclosure would