A rescue organization’s efforts to trap, foster and rehome domestic rabbits in the City of Selkirk has saved the lives of nearly 50 of the animals, who faced almost certain death after a few were intentionally released into the wild and rapidly multiplied into an overwhelming population.
Popcorns & Binkies Rescue Haven (P & B Haven), a registered charity that began trapping the domestic rabbit population in the city last fall, is caring for nearly all of the rabbits in a city-provided facility and the remainder are in foster homes in Selkirk and Winnipeg.
Rabbits sick, malnourished, babies dead
Many of the rabbits that were captured were sick, malnourished and some of the females pregnant. Two of the females’ entire litters died.
Domestic rabbits do not do well outside of a home. A spokesperson for the organization said there are several health concerns, including a parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi that can affect neurological systems, eyes and kidneys. It’s contagious and is often common in rabbits that are stressed.
Being loose in the community leaves rabbits susceptible to the parasite, the spokesperson said. Other problems for rabbits in the community are a lack of proper nutrition or in some cases no nutrition at all – some rabbits have come into the rescue with infections and some pregnant rabbits have lost their babies due to poor nutrition in the wild. Inbreeding occurs as well, which creates more problems.
All of the rabbits that were rescued had fleas, some were anemic, all were malnourished and very unhealthy and many required surgeries of various types. Also noticed in many of the rabbits is overgrown teeth. The teeth of domestic rabbits never stop growing and without proper nutrition and attention, complications arise such as trauma, anorexia and even death from the inability to chew and swallow.
“‘fight or flight’ mode, combined with inbreeding, is really messing up the genetics of many of these buns”
P&B Spokesperson caring for the rescued bunnies
All the rabbits caught were extremely stressed, which is dangerous to their health and especially tough on pregnant moms. All the rabbits will be spayed or neutered before being put up for adoption.
“On top of poor nutrition and a lack of food, the constant stress of being in ‘fight or flight’ mode, combined with inbreeding, is really messing up the genetics of many of these buns. As a result, it’s making it extremely difficult for these bunnies to have a healthy pregnancy and produce healthy babies,” the spokesperson said.
Rabbits have the ability to re-absorb and abort babies internally, the spokesperson said. However, there are times when this natural process fails, possibly due to stress, which all of these rabbits were suffering from. The spokesperson said they’d never witnessed it in 10-plus years, but one of the moms caught in Selkirk had a re-absorb fail and required lifesaving surgery.
“I hope I, or my volunteers, never have to experience it again,” the spokesperson said.
“It was pretty scary, but Pixie is doing extremely well and will be up for adoption (soon).”
Not made to be outside
Kristy Hill, Director of Protective Services for the City of Selkirk, says the city has provided a space to P & B Haven to assist in the project.
“We became aware of a large domestic rabbit population in the city, and we wanted to assist in saving these animals,” Hill said.
“These bunnies weren’t made to be outside during a Manitoba winter – they’re not wild animals, they are domestic and survival in the cold is unlikely. And if they do manage to survive, they would likely be facing serious health concerns. Trapping them, getting them healthy and ready for adoption is in the best interest of the rabbits.”
Hill says pet owners are responsible for the care and well-being of their pets, whether they’re rabbits, dogs, cats, birds or something with scales. If your pet gets out of your yard, it’s up to you to retrieve it.
“No matter how your pet gets loose, you, as the owner, are responsible for getting them back into your possession so that the animal can be properly cared for,” Hill said.
“It’s unacceptable to just throw up your hands and let the animal fend for itself.”
“The condition of these rabbits when they were rescued was horrific and they most certainly wouldn’t have survived the winter”
Selkirk CAO, Duane Nicol
Selkirk CAO Duane Nicol says dumping domestic animals who do not have the capacity to fend for themselves in the wild or ability to cope with the weather conditions of our climate is a form of animal abuse.
“Dumped animals often suffer and die inhumanely. The condition of these rabbits when they were rescued was horrific and they most certainly wouldn’t have survived the winter,” Nicol said, noting it also puts a huge strain on organizations like P&B Haven, both financially and manpower-wise, to try and save the animals.
The community can assist by allowing access yards for the rescue of these the rabbits
The P&B Haven spokesperson says they could have caught and saved more rabbits already if all property owners had cooperated fully. While many have been supportive and allowed the rescuers to come onto their property, others have denied access.
“The biggest issue we have is people not allowing us onto their property to capture rabbits. Our team has been extremely respectful of it, but it’s frustrating. I truly believe that we could have nearly all, if not all, of (the rabbits), by this point had we been given permission to access certain properties,” the spokesperson said.
If people are denying access because they enjoy watching the bunnies play in their yard, they need to know that while those bunnies may not appear to be suffering now, chances are they will eventually suffer and die a slow and painful premature death, Nicol says.
“We’ve heard some say that they think the bunnies should be free, the challenge is these animals have been bred for captivity and for a high level of care. They are not genetically prepared to be healthy in the wild. The best thing for these animals is to be brought in, provided medical treatment, and then provided a loving forever home,” Nicol said.
“People get mad and report when they see dogs outside in the cold, and it is abuse to leave a dog outside with no shelter in extreme weather. It’s also abuse to let domestic rabbits loose and try to survive, whether it’s cold or not. They’re not built for it,”
Selkirk Director of Protective Services, Kristy Hill
Hill likened the abandonment of the rabbits to people who tie dogs up outside in the freezing cold.
“People get mad and report when they see dogs outside in the cold, and it is abuse to leave a dog outside with no shelter in extreme weather. It’s also abuse to let domestic rabbits loose and try to survive, whether it’s cold or not. They’re not built for it,” she said.
The spokesperson says the rise in the number of domestic rabbits on the loose in Selkirk is likely due to a home breeding operation. The spokesperson says many residents in Selkirk have volunteered and helped with the rescue of rabbits in different ways, and they are thankful for that.
“Many of the residents have been exceptionally helpful with allowing us access to their property if there is a rabbit active in there and letting us set up a capture,” the spokesperson said.
“Some residents have allowed us to set up feeding stations and monitor them – reaching out to a volunteer after they’ve closed a rabbit inside of it. We have some residents helping us by picking up laundry and bringing it back clean (as we go through dozens of loads a week). We also have some residents that have signed up as volunteers, that are coming to the facility and helping with cleaning and socializing of the rabbits.”
Rescue efforts costly, time consuming. Donations and fosters greatly needed
The rescue effort cost P & B Haven as much as $3,500 a week for food and vet bills. While they are grateful for the City of Selkirk’s donation of shelter space, paying the bills is challenging. Any donations would help.
The spokesperson said they will continue with trapping into the spring using feeding stations. There are still rabbits out there and they’re hoping more community volunteers will come forward to assist. And they’re hoping those property owners who have denied access to their yards will change their minds, which would increase the chance of the rabbits’ survival.
Anyone interested in helping in the rescue effort can contact [email protected].
Foster and forever homes are also needed. Anyone interested should fill out an application at popcornsandbinkies.org.
