Activists rehome hundreds of abandoned pets from feral rabbit dumpsite

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L.E. Baskow

Feral bunnies overrun a Las Vegas facility though have a caring organization tending them lead by Stacey Taylor at Bunnies Matter Las Vegas on Saturday, July 29 2017.

Mon, Jul 2, 2018 (2 a.m.)

This June, the sun set quietly on the serene grass fields at Desert Willow Treatment Center, a state-operated mental health facility.

A year ago, at this time and at this place, hundreds of rabbits would flood these fields to greet the volunteers at Bunnies Matter in Vegas Too, hungry for their dinner of lettuce, carrots and parsley. At peak population, activists believe there were nearly 1,200 rabbits at this location for at least six years.

“We think within the only property right now, there’s about 20 or less. They keep popping up … but we’ve gotten them way down,” said Dave Schweiger, a Bunnies Matter organizer.

But the struggle to solve Las Vegas’ feral rabbit problem is not over. Floyd Lamb Park, once the second-largest dumpsite for bunnies, is now the first, and activists have turned their attention there in addition to several smaller sites such as parks, golf courses and neighborhoods.

Near Easter, pet shops fill up with baby rabbits and sell them to parents for their children. But shortly after the holiday ends, many — some estimate as much as 80 percent — of the rabbits brought are abandoned or left at shelters.

Other pet owners leave their rabbits at parks.

Stacey Taylor of Bunnies Matter said she doesn’t believe the owners are malicious in abandoning them at parks but that more likley, they think they are freeing their pets and are comforted in knowing that activists will feed the rabbits.

Until recently, pet shops that sold rabbits in the City of Las Vegas’ jurisdiction were not required to spay or neuter them. On June 20, the city adopted ordinances 53 and 54, which require that, in addition to pets like dogs and cats, less common pets including rabbits are required to be spayed or neutered at 4 months old.

For rabbits under that age, the spay and neuter fees must be included in the price of the sale of the animal. Additionally, businesses will be required to keep track of every animal sold.

The ordinances were introduced after hundreds of rabbits were found mysteriously dead in the Desert Willow field in February. The discovery gained attention from National Geographic and The Washington Post.

The national reach helped Bunnies Matter rehome about 400 rabbits from the dumpsite to animal rescue groups in cities such as Canton, Ohio; Rock Hall, Md.; Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; and several counties in North Carolina.

Schweiger said the majority of those transported bunnies have been adopted out.

But the organization is struggling to maintain its efforts. It still has about 300 rabbits to rehome. All of the temporary homes for the rabbits, provided by Bunnies Matter activists, are at capacity. Veterinary bills to ensure the rabbits are ready to be adopted are expensive, and then there are the daily costs of caring for multiple rabbits, such as food and other supplies. Schweiger said the organization spends nearly $4,500 a month caring for the approximately 300 rabbits in its care.

Much of Bunnies Matters’ work is supported through public donations made to the organization or to All Creatures Sanctuary, which helps spay and neuter rabbits. But Schweiger said that the need is still there.

“We need funds to take care of the ones we have and to help the ones in the future,” Schweiger said.

Sources:

https://www.petakids.com/save-animals/rabbit-facts/

https://www.thedodo.com/easter-gifts-animals-rabbits-chicks-ducklings-1059086285.html

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2017/aug/07/with-the-population-of-abandoned-bunnies-exploding/

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