Don’t Be a Bunny Dumper

In February, about 50 dead rabbits were discovered on the grounds of a mental health facility where bunny dumping has been going on for years. Local rescue groups are still working to move any remaining rabbits off the grounds and are in need of animal carriers, water bottles, and donations.

 

With Easter coming up this weekend, it seems like the right time to talk about our rabbit problems.

Bunnies on the grounds of a local park

Bunny dumping has been a problem in Las Vegas for a long time. I’m not talking about the wild rabbits you see when you’re out hiking. The bunnies I’m talking about were once someone’s pet, right up until the point when their person decided to abandon them. These bunnies aren't able to fend for themselves. For some time now, volunteers have been feeding and caring for rabbits at dump sites throughout Las Vegas and doing their best to adopt them out when possible (a rigorous screening process is involved).

Volunteers with Bunnies Matter were shocked to discover the dead rabbits at the mental health facility last month. Poisoning initially was the suspected cause of death, but autopsies revealed it was brunt force trauma, enough to break ribs. Someone was unspeakably cruel to these bunnies, who were accustomed  to humans.

Two days before the dead rabbits were found on February 18, the mental health facility passed around notices that the Nevada Department of Health had declared the bunnies a health hazard. (During the autopsies, the bunnies tested negative for tularemia, one of the serious diseases the rabbits were alleged to have. Prior to this point, there were no concerns voiced about the rabbits carrying disease.) Further, the notice said people were barred from feeding the rabbits and that the state planned to relocate them. No one from Bunnies Matter had been told anything about these new developments.

Interestingly, the facility itself had originally released rabbits on the grounds, thinking it would be soothing for the residents. They neglected to spay or neuter the rabbits, and so they wound up with a rabbit problem, exacerbated by bunny dumpers. 

After the dead rabbits were found, bunny rescuers sprang into action, working diligently to move the remaining rabbits off the grounds. (At its peak population, this dumpsite had about 1,000 rabbits.) When I spoke to Stacey Taylor of Bunnies Matter a couple of weeks ago, her group was still working hard to get all of the rabbits moved from the area. She said that baby bunnies who had been in burrows waiting for their moms had started to come out, likely looking for food since Mom had not come back.

With Easter right around the corner, there are unfortunately a lot of bunnies who will wind up homeless after they become too big or too much of a bother. That’s when a bunch of them will wind up being dumped somewhere.

If you think a rabbit will make a fun Easter gift for the kids, please rethink. Bunnies requite a lot of attention and care. They like to chew on things. They get bored easily. If you’re thinking of getting a bunny, I urge you to do some research on what’s involved with caring for them. Better yet, I strongly urge you to reconsider and simply buy a stuffed animal instead.

Even better, visit some real bunnies at one of the adoption events Bunnies Matters hosts, and then make a donation. They're at the PetSmart on West Charleston every Saturday. Drop off a carrier and a water bottle. Click over to the Bunnies Matter Amazon Wish List, and send them something. Don't give bunnies as gifts this Easter--give the bunnies the gifts instead!

PETA is offering a$5,000 reward for the identification of the people responsible for the 50 rabbit deaths. The Nevada Capitol Police, a state agency, is also investigating the bunny killing.

Have you seen the dumped bunnies around Las Vegas? If you're not in Las Vegas, do you have a bunny dumping problem in your city? Unfortunately, many places do.

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All pictures by Terrisa Meeks