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Just somewhere for random eatser tales (or tails):
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/8343705.htm
Posted on Sun, Apr. 04, 2004
Bunny-dumping wave acute
BY BOB SHAW
Pioneer Press
By Bob shaw • Pioneer Press
Who says there's no crime in the suburbs? Consider the recent outbreak of bunny-dumping.
A growing number of the adorable leporine fuzz balls has been dropped off at the Minnesota Valley Humane Society in Burnsville or abandoned by the front door. Or left outdoors, where they become snacks for neighborhood dogs and cats.
And the most dreaded time of year — Easter — is just around the corner. That means another wave of bunny-dumping is coming, as hundreds of families dazzled by the cuteness of bunnies acquire the critters without realizing what difficult house guests they can be.
"It's a big problem," said Kris Best, spokeswoman for the Humane Society.
There were 133 rabbits dropped off at the animal shelter in 2003, up a whopping 45 percent. And the dumping is raging this year, Best said.
Rabbits are now the third most common animal to be given up after dogs and cats, said Ingrid Harding, the education director of the Minnesota House Rabbit Society, a group that educates people about rabbits as pets.
To remedy the situation, the Humane Society declared February "Some Bunny Loves You" month, offering special deals to adopt rabbits, and classes for prospective owners.
But it hasn't stemmed the tide of cottontails.
Rabbit experts blame the bunny-dumping on a sad scenario played repeatedly.
Initially, and often at Easter, families assume that anything so cute must make a good pet. "They think it's a little cuddly animal; they think it will be a starter pet," Harding said.
But rabbits are not naturally cuddly. They have a self-image problem. Rabbits are prey animals — eaten by coyotes and other carnivores — so they survive by hiding from other mammals.
"They are used to being chased, so they are not as cuddly as a cat or dog," Best said. Rabbits often don't like cuddling, which they interpret as being captured.
Self-confident cats and dogs will investigate unknown noises, while rabbits will avoid them.
Bunnies start out cute, but at about 4 months they become obnoxious teenagers. "They are lunging, spraying (urine) and chewing on things," Harding said. They must be spayed or neutered.
Rabbits require meals of fresh vegetables and hay. They must have their nails clipped monthly and coats brushed.
And they can live a long time, often 10 years — unlike equally cute but short-lived low-maintenance pets, such as gerbils or guinea pigs.
When families become sick of their flop-eared guests, they drop them off at animal shelters. Or they put them outside, under the Disney-esque impression they will spend their days cavorting with the wild rabbits.
In fact, domestic rabbits are a different breed, defenseless against predators. If placed outdoors, they are either eaten or starve to death.
Harding hopes to prevent that. Her group, the House Rabbit Society, teaches people about rabbits and tries to find new homes for the orphans.
It even operates a kind of hot line, for those on the teetering on the edge of bunny-dumping.
"Maybe we can counsel people about keeping the rabbits," Harding said.
Harding and Best said that with proper care, rabbits can become affectionate and even polite house guests, but owners need to know what they are doing.
Neither of them was sure about the reasons for the increase in rabbit abandonment. One reason, Harding said, might be that families realize that shelters will take them in, so fewer are dumping them outdoors.
But regardless, it's a problem for rabbit-lovers.
"So far, we have been able to just stay ahead of the curve," Best said.
As a last resort, they take them in themselves. "I have a foster rabbit myself," Harding said.
A guide to bunnies
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/8343705.htm