Animal rescue charity calls on province to resolve B.C.’s abandoned bunny issue

The Holland Lop rabbits, a high-end breed, were likely dumped stock abandoned by breeders, says animal charity Rabbitats Rescue Society.

An animal charity is renewing calls for the province to address the problem of discarded pets after a premium breed mother and her litter of kits were found abandoned in a Vancouver park.

Over the course of the past week, Richmond non-profit Rabbitats Rescue Society have rescued almost a dozen Holland Lop rabbits from Everett Crowley Park in the city’s Champlain Heights neighbourhood.

According to the organization, a volunteer first spotted and caught what appeared to be an emaciated mother rabbit and three surviving babies in the park on Nov. 3. Later that same day, a deceased rabbit was also spotted on the road.

The following morning, the B.C. SPCA was given a similar looking lop from the same area, and another scouring of the park by Rabbitats volunteers turned up three more babies.

On Thursday, another white rabbit was spotted and was rescued the following morning.

Many of the rabbits were “frightfully thin,” says Rabbitats founder Sorelle Saidman in a statement released Monday. The last one to be found of the small, lop-eared variation - a “fancy breed” of rabbit - was likely pregnant, she said.

“A search for more rabbits is ongoing,” the organization said in the statement, adding how two more domestic rabbits, unrelated to the lops, were caught in Surrey on Thursday.

Saidman said the group of Holland Lops could have been discarded by a pet owner overwhelmed with accidental litters, but most likely they were “dumped stock” from a backyard breeder.

The deserted family of high-end bunnies have pushed Rabbitats to reignite calls for better provincial support in ending animal abandonment, with the organization urging the Union of B.C. Municipalities to endorse a proposal requesting pet sterilization mandates, harsher penalties and enforcement for abandonment, and support for rabbit rescues.

Rescue support is “critical,” said Saidman.

“All the education in the world isn’t going to stop people from abandoning their rabbits when they have nowhere else for them to go.”

Aside from the bad breeders “trying to make a buck,” those who are deserting their pets are typically people who “truly love” their animals but are struggling to care for them due to a difficulty finding housing or keeping ownership of them amid certain life changes.

“They try to rehome them, but the shelters aren’t taking them and rescues are full. They have no choice,” said Saidman.

The charity says it is “gratefully” accepting donations through its website as it works to provide ongoing care for the rescued group, which will involve the spaying and neutering of the rabbits and any immediately required vaccinations.

Anyone who comes across an abandoned rabbit or a feral colony is advised to report the sighting to the organization’s abandoned rabbits website, at map.abandonedrabbits.com.