InspectorMorse
Wise Old Thumper
This morning BBC News had an ‘Easter Bunny’ feature supposedly to highlight the Rabbit Welfare crisis in the UK these days. What a missed opportunity it turned out to be. There was a person representing the RWAF and a Giant Rabbit Breeder/Shower, along with one of her Giant Rabbits.
The RWAF representative did try to get across the message that Rabbits are not cheap and easy pets to care for, that Rescues are over-flowing with unwanted Rabbits and that people need to do a lot of research before acquiring a Pet Rabbit. However, this was literally just a few seconds of the whole interview. Mostly the focus was on the size of the Giant Rabbit (who looked very unhappy being in a TV studio
)
The issue of people buying two Rabbits but not knowing their genders, or being sold Rabbits sexed incorrectly and the inevitable accidental litters’ situation was mentioned. The Breeder claimed to ‘just breed for her showing’ and then, to my horror, went on to say that any ‘left overs’ went to Petting Farms and to universities for research :shock: OK, this could be other types of research not vivisection. But this was not made clear. Nor is it right for any Rabbit to be kept in a Laboratory or a Petting farm, IMO.
I am so disappointed that the RWAF appeared to endorse all the Breeder was saying, she certainly wasn’t challenged in any way by anyone. Neither did the RWAF put forward a robust statement about just how dire the Rabbit Welfare Crisis now is. They did raise the issue of England needing to catch up with. Scotland and for Breeders to have to be licensed and inspected.Nothing was mentioned about a proposal for an amnesty on the breeding and selling of Rabbits whilst the Rescue situation is in crisis.IMO the overall interview was light weight and unlikely to do much at all to educate people about what having Pet Rabbits really means. A opportunity missed
Unfortunately the part of BBC News featuring the interview is not available on Iplayer, not at the moment anyway. But if you saw it and like me you feel disappointed please let the RWAF know. Of course how the Interview was conducted was probably out of their control. But IMO a much more robust approach was needed from the RWAF in order to get Joe Public to sit up and take notice. The Breeder, whilst hardly dynamic, did seem to get more interest from the two BBC presenters.
I also question how wise it was to feature a breed type that
1- Has a strong predisposition to breed related health conditions such as hip dysplasia, spinal problems, heart problems and sore hocks. When only recently the RWAF made a big deal about not promoting Lop Rabbits because of their known predisposition to health problems.
2- A Giant Rabbit is likely to attract the attention and get the ‘oh I must have a 10kg Bunny’ response. A big deal was made about the Bunny’s size. It’s the size of the Rabbits that can predispose them to serious life limiting health problems.
If you do want to express your opinion about this interview to the RWAF this is the contact email address
info@rabbitwelfare.co.uk
Personally I see little point in contacting the BBC, but I guess that is an option some may wish to consider
https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact
The RWAF representative did try to get across the message that Rabbits are not cheap and easy pets to care for, that Rescues are over-flowing with unwanted Rabbits and that people need to do a lot of research before acquiring a Pet Rabbit. However, this was literally just a few seconds of the whole interview. Mostly the focus was on the size of the Giant Rabbit (who looked very unhappy being in a TV studio
)The issue of people buying two Rabbits but not knowing their genders, or being sold Rabbits sexed incorrectly and the inevitable accidental litters’ situation was mentioned. The Breeder claimed to ‘just breed for her showing’ and then, to my horror, went on to say that any ‘left overs’ went to Petting Farms and to universities for research :shock: OK, this could be other types of research not vivisection. But this was not made clear. Nor is it right for any Rabbit to be kept in a Laboratory or a Petting farm, IMO.
I am so disappointed that the RWAF appeared to endorse all the Breeder was saying, she certainly wasn’t challenged in any way by anyone. Neither did the RWAF put forward a robust statement about just how dire the Rabbit Welfare Crisis now is. They did raise the issue of England needing to catch up with. Scotland and for Breeders to have to be licensed and inspected.Nothing was mentioned about a proposal for an amnesty on the breeding and selling of Rabbits whilst the Rescue situation is in crisis.IMO the overall interview was light weight and unlikely to do much at all to educate people about what having Pet Rabbits really means. A opportunity missed
Unfortunately the part of BBC News featuring the interview is not available on Iplayer, not at the moment anyway. But if you saw it and like me you feel disappointed please let the RWAF know. Of course how the Interview was conducted was probably out of their control. But IMO a much more robust approach was needed from the RWAF in order to get Joe Public to sit up and take notice. The Breeder, whilst hardly dynamic, did seem to get more interest from the two BBC presenters.
I also question how wise it was to feature a breed type that
1- Has a strong predisposition to breed related health conditions such as hip dysplasia, spinal problems, heart problems and sore hocks. When only recently the RWAF made a big deal about not promoting Lop Rabbits because of their known predisposition to health problems.
2- A Giant Rabbit is likely to attract the attention and get the ‘oh I must have a 10kg Bunny’ response. A big deal was made about the Bunny’s size. It’s the size of the Rabbits that can predispose them to serious life limiting health problems.
If you do want to express your opinion about this interview to the RWAF this is the contact email address
info@rabbitwelfare.co.uk
Personally I see little point in contacting the BBC, but I guess that is an option some may wish to consider
https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact
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