The Easter Bunny Crisis: Breaking the Cycle of Dumped Pets

Dixie: 00:00:02

Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the

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people and rescues making a

difference in the lives of animals.

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I am joined today by Maria.

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She is a passionate animal advocate

and animal rescuer here in New

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Orleans, and she is at the forefront

of a growing crisis in our city.

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Right now it is the Easter impulse

buy and the surge of dumped

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bunnies that occurs afterwards.

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She's here to help us understand

why this is happening and more

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importantly, how we can break the cycle.

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Hi Maria,

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. Thank you for coming on the show.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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You wanted to talk about an issue

that has been like an epidemic

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lately, and that's of dumped bunnies.

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Maria: Absolutely.

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So in New Orleans here, I think across

the country actually we've had an

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increase of people dumping bunnies.

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And we don't really know why that

is, but we know that people are

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really ill-informed about bunny care.

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And I would argue that bunnies are like

the biggest impulse buy of the animal

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world, and a lot of it stems back.

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To Easter, basically.

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And so right now we have an unexpected

boom of loose bunnies running around

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the city, and it's not even Easter yet.

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So we're all really concerned

because we know that after Easter,

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after a couple months go by, we're

gonna start getting notices that

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there are bunnies around the city.

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Yeah, it's been a real issue

and we're just trying to educate

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as many people as we can.

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Don't get a bunny for Easter and don't

let your friends get bunnies for Easter.

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And make sure to, let the people around

you in your communities know that.

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Because it's really a big responsibility

that's falling on the shoulders of,

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local rescues, all across the country.

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Yeah.

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Dixie: Before we talk more about that,

tell me a little bit about yourself.

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How long have you been

involved in rescuing bunnies?

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Maria: I found a bunny.

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Basically it was June 3rd, 2022.

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It was after midnight.

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We were coming home from seeing

some music downtown, and I pull up

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and in my headlights is this gray

bunny sitting in the middle of my

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street just sitting up looking at us.

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And I like threw my car door open

and I threw my bag on the ground

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and I just went after this bunny.

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Like I just instinctively knew

this bunny is not supposed to

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be there and I'm gonna get 'em.

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So I brought him home and I honestly

thought that this bunny was probably

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somebody's pet, and he actually

had a giant bump on his back, and

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I thought he probably had cancer.

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I was like, somebody's gotta

be taking care of this bunny.

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Look at him.

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He's got this giant tumor on his back.

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I posted on, the SPCA websites I

posted on all the missing pet forums.

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I even put a sign in my yard and

nobody was looking for this bunny.

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And I very quickly realized it's because

this bunny found me and I found this

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bunny and we were meant to be together.

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And he has completely changed my life.

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That's kinda where it started.

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And so I had this bunny and it was

in a weird time during my life.

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And he was helping me

keep it all together.

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He ended up being this emotional

support for me that I really

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needed in my life at that moment.

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I had to close my store

at the end of COVID.

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My house, my roof was left

open during a rainstorm.

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I had all this stress in my life

and every time I needed to just pin

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myself back down to the earth, I had

this little fluffy bunny and I just

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fell so in love with him and I was.

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Amazed at this little animal that they're

just so innocent and sweet that it

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could have this profound impact on me.

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So soon after that.

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Here in town at Lafreniere

Park, we were having a big boom.

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There've been dumped

bunnies there for years.

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And our local rescues, our regional

rescues, Bunnagain Rabbit Rescue and

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Education, Lola and Friends Bunny

Rescue of South Mississippi and the

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Jefferson SPCA, were all working

together to rescue these bunnies.

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They have something like 60 bunnies.

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I really wanted to get involved with them.

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So I had reached out to them a few

times, but the times that I was

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able to go rescue there was bad

weather and I wasn't able to go.

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And then soon after that there was Petco

was gonna start selling baby bunnies.

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And we have this like online

community house Rabbit Society.

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And everybody was working together

to try and call Petco and be

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an advocate for these bunnies

to say you can't carry bunnies.

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Like we have all these

people dumping bunnies.

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People don't know about bunnies and we

definitely don't need you to carry these

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little baby bunnies, and so what I did is.

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I had called Petco.

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I had a conversation with somebody.

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We ended up being on the phone for about

a half an hour, and I was so inspired

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by it that I opened on Facebook a

message thread with me and the three

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local rescues, and I called it bunny

advocates because that is what I am

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through and I don't have a rescue.

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But ever since then, we have been

such a strong community and we have

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worked together and we all bring

something different to the table.

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And I just feel like.

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They were the people

that I was meant to find.

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And we've been working

together ever since.

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And it's been amazing, if we all

just lift each other up and help each

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other when we can and yeah, and we've

been able to make videos and have a

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bigger reach to educate more people.

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Yeah, so right now I am just a

volunteer with the rescues, but really

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I'd like to start a rescue in New

Orleans proper, which we do need.

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I don't have the funding

for that right now.

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I wanted to make sure that I got the

experience volunteering and working with

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these other rescues to learn what I needed

to learn , before making the jump, making

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sure I was the best version of myself and

educated enough to like, make that leap.

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And hopefully I'll be

able to do that soon.

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If I don't adopt

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someone's nonprofit, I'll be able

to start my own and hopefully

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that's gonna be in the future here.

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Yeah.

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Dixie: I love hearing about the bunny

advocate group that you started and

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how all the bunny groups work together.

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Because I see a trend a lot in rescue

most of them don't work together,

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which I always think is a problem.

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But I've interviewed James

with lola and Friends.

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I've talked to Hannah

with the Jefferson SPCA.

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I talked to Donna with bunn again,

and I just think it is so incredibly

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inspiring that all work together to

get a bunny where it needs to go.

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I think it's great.

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Maria: Yeah, absolutely.

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And I think that online too, like I

mentioned about House Rabbit Society and

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they even have the Underground Railroad

where there's an organization that you

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can contact them if you have to transport

a bunny all the way across the country.

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There are different people who

are volunteer and carry that

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bunny from state to state.

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And because we have the internet.

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People have been able to really work

together and to share information

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and spread information faster.

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And this just happens to

be my local community.

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And honestly, if it wasn't for,

the internet and the way things are

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done now, maybe we wouldn't all be

as connect connected as we are now.

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It's really helped us work together.

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And I think it is important,

especially when you have this big

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boom of so many bunnies right now,

doing it alone, the isolation that

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comes with that, the risk, the fear.

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I mean it, it's a lot to take on.

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Anybody who's in animal

rescue will tell you that.

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It's a lot.

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And I think if you can have a

community, it's always gonna

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make you that much stronger.

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Dixie: What is the specific

issue that you're facing right

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now with the dumped bunnies?

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Maria: Okay, so we got we were

contacted by a local car dealership

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and they said, we've got these

bunnies running around loose.

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There's a ton of them everywhere.

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And we were like, what is going on?

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So I happen to live really close by.

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I'm only about six minutes away.

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So I ran over and looked and I saw

some of them immediately and I had

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gone around behind the property.

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I saw someone a little lot there

while I was trying to rescue a woman

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comes down the street, she starts

asking questions and I was like,

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uhoh, do you like love the bunnies?

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'cause a lot of times when

you go on these rescues.

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Sometimes people get defensive,

like they like the loose bunnies.

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They think it's fun to have 'em

around, not really understanding that

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it's not safe for them to be out, not

only parasites and cars predators.

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But she was on board.

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Like she totally understood.

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She said I've had a bunny before.

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Like I know, I'm glad you're here.

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And filled her in.

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And so she showed me around that

whole block, like that whole block is

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basically a territory for these bunnies.

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They're not just at the car dealership.

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They're at all of the property behind

there and they've actually dug tunnels.

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Underneath this woman's house, underneath

steps underneath her house, and we

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don't even have a confirmed number yet.

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I've personally seen about

maybe six, seven or eight.

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And we know that there are some litters

of babies that aren't quite out yet.

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It seems like they come out in the

very beginning of the day and then they

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tuck away and we haven't seen, so we

actually don't have a confirmed number.

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We, I think were originally

told probably, maybe.

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20 bunnies, but I don't actually know,

and I know that some have been hit.

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A couple of the younger black ones have

already been hit by a car, unfortunately.

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But yeah, it's a concern because

like I said, like Easter's

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right around the corner.

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This is a lot of bunnies for us

to take on before Easter even.

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'cause then, after Easter,

there's always gonna be more.

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And also on top of that, we recently had

a report of at Lafreniere Someone had

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dumped two bunnies and people scurried,

and they were like running across the

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street and they were trying to rescue 'em.

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They're just.

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Covered in urine stains is

absolutely heartbreaking.

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One of them did pass away, and the other,

as soon as she got to the shelter, she

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had eight babies, literally that day.

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So we already had a bunny that had babies.

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And then a couple days later Hannah at,

Jefferson, SPCA, realized her bunny was

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nesting and she had three or four babies.

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So right before we got notice

about this car lot issue, we

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already had a boom of over a dozen

bunnies, yeah, it's a concern.

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And the funding a lot of these programs

got cut with political whatever.

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It's like programs get cut, the funding's

not there, the space isn't there.

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So we're just working together and

we really need people to foster.

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You've never fostered before.

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It's a great opportunity to do it.

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It would be such a huge

help to your community.

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It would give you an opportunity

to get to know bunnies and see

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why we're so passionate about it.

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I feel like a lot of people don't

really understand bunnies until

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they find a bunny like I did.

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I didn't know.

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I always saw people that had

bunnies and , I didn't understand

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the emotional connection.

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'cause bunnies hide their emotions.

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They're nervous when

they meet somebody new.

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And then.

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You get a bunny in your house and you

see how funny they are and how much fun

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and they're like thinking and flopping

around and they're just the cutest,

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silliest, sweetest little animals.

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And you understand, it's almost like

they heal a part of your inner child.

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It's just pure joy and I wish

more people would have the

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opportunity to experience that.

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And I find that a lot of times people

don't unless they find a bunny.

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So I'm encouraging

anybody that's listening.

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Just foster one, just say, I would

like to help for a couple months.

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I know that y'all could use the

help and get to know a bunny.

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'cause you might absolutely fall in love.

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I think that's usually what happens.

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Yeah.

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Dixie: I know a lot of people when

they get bunnies and they're maybe

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not educated about bunnies, they

get a bunny and the bunny will just

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stay in a cage and they'll take the

bunny out maybe just for playtime.

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But the majority of the time

that bunny is living in a cage.

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How do.

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Fosters do it differently.

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Maria: Okay, so we are definitely

all about the House Rabbit Society.

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The free Roam bunny,

and if not, free roam.

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Free roam means they have free roam of

your house, just like a cat or a dog.

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Now, bunnies do chew on

things, but this is the thing.

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Cages just aren't appropriate for bunnies.

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They're not, they never really have been.

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People are getting better educated

about bunnies and understand

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that if you think enclosure.

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Instead of cage, you're

moving in the right direction.

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So the space that a bunny needs,

you should be able to basically

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lay in their space comfortably.

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A bunny should be able to hop three,

three hops like in every direction.

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That's an appropriate amount of space.

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Now if you have to go to work.

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You can have your bunny in as

enclosure, have some toys to chew.

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And then when you're home, they can

be free room in your house as long

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as they're supervised or in a room.

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A lot of people have a bunny

room, which is really fun.

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They can have like little ramps.

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They go up, they have little

tunnels they run through.

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You just have to make sure that, just like

any other animal, they need enrichment,

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they need mental stimulation, they

need toys and things to do, and they're

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foragers, they're curious, you can make

a little box and have some pellets and

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little dried, dried vegetable and some

paper and they like dig around and play.

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They're very playful and curious

animals and you can't just

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let 'em sit in a cage alone.

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There's this idea of out

of sight, out of mind.

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And that's what a lot of

people will do with bunnies.

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Like you have 'em in a hutch

outside on your back porch.

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A kid loses his interest and

then that bunny is suffering.

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And they don't do well in the heat.

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So definitely not in Louisiana.

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Your bunny needs to be inside.

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It's cruel.

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And people will compare

that to like wild bunnies.

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Wild bunnies only have a lifespan

about two years, not 10 years.

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And the reason why is 'cause , they

are prey animals and they're out

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in the wild, and they also dig deep

down under the earth to keep cool.

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But when you have an animal in a hutch.

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Outside in the heat.

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It's just really inappropriate.

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They're suffering.

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And they're also susceptible to

still parasites and things like

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fly strike, which is very brutal.

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Nobody wants to go through that.

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So having your bunny indoors in an

enclosure where they have more room

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to be comfortable and still play,

you're gonna have a happier bunny.

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There's no reason why your bunny

can't interact in your home and

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have more space and play a cage.

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If you see a bunny just sitting there.

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He's depressed, he's lonely.

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They're very social animals.

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A lot of people have two bunnies.

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It's a bonded pair, and

they're absolutely in love.

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I'm actually looking at two of mine

right now, and they're literally like

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glued together every day, cuddling.

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Like they're very social animals.

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To leave a bunny alone in a cage

is just it's not considering

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their mental health or wellbeing.

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And I think that goes

for all animals really.

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But yeah, people are learning

more about that and we had to just

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keep educating people that think

enclosure, not cage and free roaming.

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Dixie: Yeah.

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I know the last time that I spoke to

the bunny people I learned quite a

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bit that I didn't know about bunnies.

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Like the one thing that

got me was the carrots.

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Because you would always see

Bugs Bunny with a carrot and

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carrots are not good for bunnies.

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Maria: Yeah, absolutely.

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Oh my gosh.

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It's a whole thing and you'll

see me on my rescue videos.

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, I use carrots, I use Apple.

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What I do is I cut very skinny slices

of them and I give them very tiny pieces

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because what it should be is a treat.

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It's a special treat, and that is the

number one thing You see when people

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call and they say, oh, we have this

bunny running loose in our neighborhood.

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My favorite term, the neighborhood bunny.

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There's no such thing as a

neighborhood bunny people.

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It's an abandoned animal

or a dumped bunny.

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But everybody will just throw carrots.

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I went on this one rescue and

a guy came out, he's oh, I

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give these to her every day.

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And he handed me a whole bag

of mini carrots, and I'm like,

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this bunny's gonna be sick.

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I'm gonna get her home.

313

: 00:14:03

And she's just gonna have

the worst upset tummy.

314

: 00:14:05

Too much sugar is very bad.

315

: 00:14:07

If you think of a bunny.

316

: 00:14:08

A bunny is literally one big

digestive track, and they

317

: 00:14:11

cannot have a lot of sugar.

318

: 00:14:12

So more appropriate treats

are, romaine lettuce.

319

: 00:14:16

Leafy, leafy greens herbs.

320

: 00:14:19

But yeah, anything sweet like a

carrot is definitely considered.

321

: 00:14:21

They can have some, but

just as a little snack yeah.

322

: 00:14:25

Dixie: You mentioned earlier

too, that you think bunnies

323

: 00:14:28

are the number one impulse pet.

324

: 00:14:30

Why do you think is, why do

you think that's the reason?

325

: 00:14:34

Maria: I think that, , it's probably also

during spring and Easter of course, you go

326

: 00:14:39

and you think, oh, it's such a great idea.

327

: 00:14:40

I can put him in the Easter basket.

328

: 00:14:42

Oh yeah.

329

: 00:14:43

And you don't even think about it.

330

: 00:14:43

You just think, oh yeah, my kid is young.

331

: 00:14:45

This will be a great first time pet.

332

: 00:14:47

And how cute would it be?

333

: 00:14:48

How excited would they be to like,

wake up in the morning and there's a

334

: 00:14:51

little bunny in their Easter basket.

335

: 00:14:53

Oh, I just love the memory.

336

: 00:14:54

And they just do it without

even thinking about it.

337

: 00:14:56

And it's not like the

pet stores offer you.

338

: 00:14:58

Any information.

339

: 00:15:00

I personally think that they should

be, it should probably be illegal to

340

: 00:15:02

buy a bunny at a pet store, but they

don't even give you a brochure or

341

: 00:15:06

nothing, no resources to learn about it.

342

: 00:15:08

And the thing is they also sell

these cages at the pet store.

343

: 00:15:11

They don't belong in the cages.

344

: 00:15:12

Like the literally on the packaging

of the cage is a cute little bunny.

345

: 00:15:16

I'm like, that is not an

appropriate size for a bunny.

346

: 00:15:19

I think also part of this is because

bunnies are also considered livestock.

347

: 00:15:23

So we're in this weird area where

we're dealing with people getting

348

: 00:15:27

educated about pet bunnies and then

there's like this culture of livestock.

349

: 00:15:30

So they have like less protection

compared to other pets like dogs

350

: 00:15:34

or cats where a lot of people know

like how they should be treated.

351

: 00:15:37

But I feel like when people go to a pet

store and they see this cute little bunny

352

: 00:15:42

with its little face, you look at the

hamster and you're like the bunny's a

353

: 00:15:46

little bit bigger for my kid to play with.

354

: 00:15:47

And look how stinking cute it is.

355

: 00:15:49

And you just do it.

356

: 00:15:50

You just, it's an impulse all buy

because they're absolutely adorable and

357

: 00:15:53

people fall in love when they see 'em.

358

: 00:15:55

So I think that's why, and

maybe they think it's a little

359

: 00:15:56

bit something different.

360

: 00:15:58

It's not as much responsibility

as like a dog or a cat.

361

: 00:16:00

A bunny will be just perfect.

362

: 00:16:02

And they think that they're

gonna live as long as a hamster,

363

: 00:16:05

which is only two or three years.

364

: 00:16:06

And hamsters don't belong

at tiny cages either.

365

: 00:16:08

But that's another topic they deserve

little habitats too, which is a

366

: 00:16:11

really fun little project if it's

something people are interested in.

367

: 00:16:14

But bunnies actually live longer lives.

368

: 00:16:16

It can be, 10 plus years.

369

: 00:16:18

And it's a misconception.

370

: 00:16:19

It's an impulse buy thinking.

371

: 00:16:20

It's gonna be a good beginner pet.

372

: 00:16:22

It's gonna last a short while.

373

: 00:16:24

Then they get it.

374

: 00:16:25

They realize they bit off more that

they can chew and people think we

375

: 00:16:29

know that we can't dump dogs or cats.

376

: 00:16:31

That's not okay.

377

: 00:16:31

But bunnies live outside.

378

: 00:16:33

Bunnies are bunnies.

379

: 00:16:34

And so then they think that they

could just release 'em and releasing

380

: 00:16:37

a bunny is dumping a bunny.

381

: 00:16:38

They're domesticated.

382

: 00:16:39

They're not like wild bunnies,

domesticated bunnies, can't

383

: 00:16:42

even breed with wild bunnies.

384

: 00:16:45

Like it's a completely different animal.

385

: 00:16:47

And their immune system

isn't ready to be outside.

386

: 00:16:50

There's just all kinds of reasons.

387

: 00:16:51

It's just cruel to dump a bunny.

388

: 00:16:52

And so it's an impulse buy to start.

389

: 00:16:55

People think.

390

: 00:16:56

It won't live that long.

391

: 00:16:57

Great toy for my kid loses interest.

392

: 00:16:59

Bunnies are a lot more

responsibility than they were

393

: 00:17:01

ready for, and it's just a cycle.

394

: 00:17:03

And then people release 'em,

and then it just stops there.

395

: 00:17:06

And so we gotta break that cycle

at all points if we possibly can.

396

: 00:17:10

So

397

: 00:17:11

Dixie: Another thing about Easter and

Bunnies that drives me crazy is I see this

398

: 00:17:17

trend lately on social media where people

will go do photo shoots with baby animals.

399

: 00:17:24

Have you seen those?

400

: 00:17:26

Maria: I haven't actually seen that one.

401

: 00:17:27

The only one that I'm aware of is

Bunnagain and Jefferson, SPCA actually

402

: 00:17:31

do have one, but those are a rescue run.

403

: 00:17:34

So if you see an event online where

people are doing these photo shoots

404

: 00:17:38

with baby animals and a rescue is

not involved, you should either be

405

: 00:17:42

asking a lot of questions to why.

406

: 00:17:45

Or not supporting and making sure

that other people know not to support

407

: 00:17:47

because people shouldn't be making the

money off of these animals, letting

408

: 00:17:51

kids handle the animals without knowing

what's gonna happen or whatever.

409

: 00:17:55

If you go to a photo shoot that's run by

a rescue, not only are you supporting a

410

: 00:17:59

good cause but it's also gonna be managed

in a way to make sure that the animals

411

: 00:18:04

are safe and the children are safe.

412

: 00:18:06

'cause, things happen and, it's

just for everybody's best interest,

413

: 00:18:08

but I actually haven't seen that.

414

: 00:18:10

, Usually when I see stuff going online

that like raises a red flag for me.

415

: 00:18:13

I'm pretty involved.

416

: 00:18:14

Like I do consider

myself a bunny advocate.

417

: 00:18:16

I will get on there and start a

conversation about what I think

418

: 00:18:20

about it, but I won't be rude.

419

: 00:18:21

It's more to just encourage people to

think and maybe to broaden their horizons.

420

: 00:18:27

Okay, you wanna have a

photo shoot with bunnies?

421

: 00:18:29

Did you consider reaching

out to your local rescue?

422

: 00:18:31

Do you know what I mean?

423

: 00:18:32

Instead of it.

424

: 00:18:33

I don't know.

425

: 00:18:34

There's ways, about that,

but I haven't seen it.

426

: 00:18:35

I'll have to keep an eye out.

427

: 00:18:36

'cause Easter is right around the corner.

428

: 00:18:38

Dixie: Yeah.

429

: 00:18:38

These weren't rescue run.

430

: 00:18:40

They're just like a regular like

photo shoot, a photographer or will

431

: 00:18:43

go out and get some baby animals.

432

: 00:18:46

And I've seen 'em do it with the

baby ducks, the baby chicks, and

433

: 00:18:49

then the baby bunnies and, yeah.

434

: 00:18:51

Maria: And I wonder where

all those babies go after.

435

: 00:18:53

Dixie: That's what I was gonna say.

436

: 00:18:54

I wonder what happens to him after.

437

: 00:18:57

Maria: There was , I guess a

famous, artist, a woman I don't,

438

: 00:18:59

or a influencer, in New York.

439

: 00:19:01

'cause that actually they adopted two

bunnies and then they did a photo shoot

440

: 00:19:05

and then on leashes too, which you're

not supposed to put a bunny on a leash.

441

: 00:19:09

And then within a week, those two

bunnies were found in a park in New York.

442

: 00:19:14

And we came down on 'em hard,

but I don't even know if there

443

: 00:19:16

was any repercussions for that.

444

: 00:19:18

And any consequences.

445

: 00:19:19

I honestly don't know.

446

: 00:19:20

I did make a video about it

though, and I addressed it.

447

: 00:19:22

I even tried to contact the woman and

say, even if you didn't dump these

448

: 00:19:26

bunnies, somebody on your team did.

449

: 00:19:27

And this is unacceptable, and

especially if you're in the public eye.

450

: 00:19:30

We have a responsibility if we're

in a public eye or if we have a

451

: 00:19:34

business to make sure that we're

protecting and representing animals.

452

: 00:19:38

We are people who are creating culture.

453

: 00:19:40

We are people who have influence in a

way that maybe an average person doesn't.

454

: 00:19:45

And with that comes responsibility

to do right by the animals.

455

: 00:19:49

Dixie: When you're talking to about

the dumped bunnies, a lot of them

456

: 00:19:53

being pets that people just get rid

of, do you have issues with them

457

: 00:19:57

being livestock bunnies as well?

458

: 00:19:59

Maria: That is such a hard topic, now, the

other rescues,, I've let them know that I

459

: 00:20:05

do correspond on those message threads in

some of those groups that are livestock.

460

: 00:20:11

Or meat rabbits.

461

: 00:20:12

And the reason why I do is because I

wanna make sure that even if these people

462

: 00:20:17

are planning to feed their families with

these rabbits, I wanna make sure that

463

: 00:20:22

those rabbits are well taken care of and.

464

: 00:20:26

Ethically handled all the way through.

465

: 00:20:28

And so I'm in this weird place

where I am a meat eater, and so

466

: 00:20:32

then I also feel guilty about that.

467

: 00:20:34

And I know what rabbit meat is,

and , it's a healthy meat and when

468

: 00:20:38

you look at, growing livestock and,

raising livestock and all this stuff,

469

: 00:20:41

like I understand why people do it.

470

: 00:20:42

Does it break my heart?

471

: 00:20:43

Absolutely.

472

: 00:20:45

But I'm still involved

with that dialogue because.

473

: 00:20:48

I want people to make sure that the

bunnies are being well taken care of.

474

: 00:20:51

Do I still try to encourage people

and show people what I think?

475

: 00:20:55

Absolutely.

476

: 00:20:56

There was this woman, one woman who posted

a video and her mating rabbit was her doe

477

: 00:21:01

was kissing her on her head, on her face.

478

: 00:21:05

And so I just opened a very friendly

dialogue and I said, I just want you

479

: 00:21:08

to understand that when a bunny does

that, they think of you as family.

480

: 00:21:12

And I personally think that

like animals can be soulmates.

481

: 00:21:15

Like not every soulmate is

gonna come back in human form.

482

: 00:21:18

And if you have an animal that is bonding

with you in this way, when an animal is

483

: 00:21:22

such a timid, especially, a prey animal is

so scared, if that animal is bonding with

484

: 00:21:26

you and kissing you and thinking you are

family, maybe you should consider that.

485

: 00:21:30

You should really think about

that and reflect on that

486

: 00:21:32

before you cull or un alive.

487

: 00:21:35

That bunny, I hate to say kill, but I

haven't seen any of her posts since,

488

: 00:21:39

but I always just try to put that little

seed, we, a lot of these dump bunnies too.

489

: 00:21:42

You know what we find?

490

: 00:21:43

We had a whole bunch of dump bunnies

on the West Bank, and it seemed

491

: 00:21:46

to me that someone was breeding

them and then couldn't do it.

492

: 00:21:50

They couldn't they realized they couldn't.

493

: 00:21:53

They couldn't cull 'em.

494

: 00:21:54

And so they realized, and now I have

all these bunnies, what am I gonna do?

495

: 00:21:56

And they let 'em go in the woods.

496

: 00:21:58

And I think that happens more often

than people realize too, because they

497

: 00:22:02

are such cute, sweet little animals.

498

: 00:22:04

And then when you're working with

them hand in hand you realize that.

499

: 00:22:07

So I'm in a weird place with it because

while I'm against it, I'm still gonna be

500

: 00:22:11

a part of that dialogue in an effort to

make sure that they are well cared for,

501

: 00:22:16

and have a good life before someone does.

502

: 00:22:19

Use them to feed their family even

though it's as heartbreaking as it is.

503

: 00:22:23

So I feel guilty.

504

: 00:22:24

I'm not a vegan.

505

: 00:22:24

I can't, until I'm vegan, I feel like I

can't go out there and it's hypocritical.

506

: 00:22:29

So I'm just heartbroken.

507

: 00:22:29

But I do think that.

508

: 00:22:31

Here's the thing, people still have them

as livestock, but the more people realize

509

: 00:22:36

how similar bunnies are to cats and dogs

and the way that they bond with you and

510

: 00:22:40

how much fun they are to have as pets,

there might be less and less of livestock

511

: 00:22:46

bunnies because they really are like

beautiful little additions to your family.

512

: 00:22:51

Dixie: Yeah.

513

: 00:22:52

See, I don't understand that, from

being a pet person, how do you

514

: 00:22:56

raise 'em and not bond with them,

515

: 00:22:58

Maria: yeah, there was a woman that

was also recently, like kissing on it

516

: 00:23:02

and a little baby, and she was like,

oh, this is gonna be a crockpot bunny.

517

: 00:23:06

But she's kissing on it.

518

: 00:23:07

And I just said again, trying to open the

dialogue without being like judgmental

519

: 00:23:10

and scaring 'em away or being too pushy.

520

: 00:23:12

I just said, consider also the animals.

521

: 00:23:15

Mental health and emotional

health, that it's a betrayal.

522

: 00:23:19

If you are gonna grow an animal, if

you're gonna raise an animal to feed

523

: 00:23:23

your family, make sure that there's

a boundary that you're not gonna bond

524

: 00:23:27

with this animal because it's not just

about you bonding with this animal.

525

: 00:23:31

It's about the animal bonding with you.

526

: 00:23:33

It's a betrayal if an

animal is showing you.

527

: 00:23:36

Like love, eternal love, it's

something so much bigger.

528

: 00:23:39

Like when a animal loves

you, it's so special.

529

: 00:23:42

And if you don't put that boundary

up, if you're gonna raise livestock

530

: 00:23:45

and you're just letting these animals

love you and then you kill them,

531

: 00:23:48

like that is a betrayal on love.

532

: 00:23:51

So if you're gonna raise livestock

animals, I don't want to judge as

533

: 00:23:55

much as it breaks my heart, but

please put that boundary up because

534

: 00:23:59

it's not fair to that animal.

535

: 00:24:01

Treat them well, of course, give them

a good life, treat them well, but don't

536

: 00:24:04

bond with them emotionally like that

because they're emotional animals.

537

: 00:24:07

Like I said.

538

: 00:24:07

They like to live in a community.

539

: 00:24:09

They bond with each other.

540

: 00:24:11

They don't wanna be alone.

541

: 00:24:12

They're very loving animals.

542

: 00:24:14

So if you're gonna to eat your animals,

don't bond with them on that level.

543

: 00:24:18

Have that barrier, have that boundary.

544

: 00:24:20

Dixie: Yeah.

545

: 00:24:20

Absolutely.

546

: 00:24:21

I agree.

547

: 00:24:22

I think that is the

biggest betrayal of trust.

548

: 00:24:25

I yeah.

549

: 00:24:25

I can't even wrap my head around it,

550

: 00:24:27

, yeah.

551

: 00:24:27

It's

552

: 00:24:28

difficult for me to understand.

553

: 00:24:30

Maria: Exactly.

554

: 00:24:31

And it, I think that they're like,

oh, I'm giving him a good life.

555

: 00:24:33

I'm like you can give him a good

life without betraying that love.

556

: 00:24:36

That's the thing, keep that boundary.

557

: 00:24:38

Don't let them kiss you.

558

: 00:24:39

Then.

559

: 00:24:39

Like he loves you.

560

: 00:24:40

I'm like my inside, my heart screaming

like that little bunny loves you.

561

: 00:24:44

Don't you know?

562

: 00:24:45

But that's why I like to say just

consider, it might be your soulmate.

563

: 00:24:48

Just really reflect on that before

you make this decision, I don't know.

564

: 00:24:52

I don't have the answer.

565

: 00:24:53

It's been difficult though,

because, you're trying to educate

566

: 00:24:56

people and you want people to

bring their little bunnies inside.

567

: 00:24:58

And we do have this movement for

homesteading and livestock on a

568

: 00:25:03

small scale and things like that.

569

: 00:25:04

So it's a weird place to be.

570

: 00:25:06

It really is.

571

: 00:25:07

And ultimately, I just try to put my

best foot forward and inspire people

572

: 00:25:12

without making them feel uncomfortable.

573

: 00:25:15

Do you know what I mean?

574

: 00:25:16

That's the best that I can offer

and the best that I can do.

575

: 00:25:18

Dixie: Before we end the call,

what do you think are ways to get

576

: 00:25:23

people out of this impulse buying

and buying bunnies as Easter gifts?

577

: 00:25:30

Maria: I wish people would talk to

their local rescues to see if there

578

: 00:25:33

would be a fostering opportunity.

579

: 00:25:34

Some won't do that 'cause they

still feel like it's a bad idea.

580

: 00:25:37

Kids and bunnies and things happen.

581

: 00:25:39

Or you could plan a visit with

bunnies or something like that, like

582

: 00:25:43

a special event you could go to.

583

: 00:25:45

But I think that pet stores, it

should be illegal to carry bunnies.

584

: 00:25:48

And if not, if they don't ban 'em

from carrying bunnies, they should

585

: 00:25:51

at least do it before Easter.

586

: 00:25:54

They should.

587

: 00:25:54

Absolutely.

588

: 00:25:55

And ducks too.

589

: 00:25:55

I know that little chicks and

little ducks and all that.

590

: 00:25:57

I know it's the same thing.

591

: 00:25:58

People have 'em in their Easter baskets.

592

: 00:26:00

But it's not something that should

be available for the impulse buy.

593

: 00:26:03

We should absolutely stop that there.

594

: 00:26:05

I don't know if we'll

ever get to that point.

595

: 00:26:07

So it's either work with your rescues

and that, and I guess that cities would

596

: 00:26:10

have to come up with, local laws about

who can have, these little animals.

597

: 00:26:14

If they would just not have them in

the pet stores, that would be ideal.

598

: 00:26:18

Of course.

599

: 00:26:18

Like they did that with cats and dogs.

600

: 00:26:19

They started, dogs and cats.

601

: 00:26:21

They started adopt don't shop.

602

: 00:26:23

And that should be the exact

same situation for bunnies.

603

: 00:26:25

A lot of these little animals that

are pet stores come from mills.

604

: 00:26:28

It's just like puppy mills,

except they're for small animals.

605

: 00:26:32

And it's absolutely terrible.

606

: 00:26:33

If pet stores wanted to work with local

rescues, that's a great option too.

607

: 00:26:37

You would be supporting the rescues.

608

: 00:26:39

It would come with, community

and education because then you

609

: 00:26:42

would be involved with the rescue.

610

: 00:26:43

And we are like a little

bit of a community.

611

: 00:26:46

But yeah, that's really the thing

is we need to talk to our pet stores

612

: 00:26:49

and we need to say, you need to not

carry bunnies, or you especially just

613

: 00:26:53

don't carry them before Easter because

of that, that impulse buy issue.

614

: 00:26:58

I think that bunnies moving forward

are actually gonna be a more popular

615

: 00:27:02

and a more common house pet because

bunnies are herbivores and if you think

616

: 00:27:06

of the state of the world and climate

change and all this stuff, and dogs

617

: 00:27:09

and cats being carnivores, our world

is changing, our future is changing.

618

: 00:27:13

And to be able to take care of an

herbivore is gonna be very different than

619

: 00:27:17

having to supply meat for cats and dogs.

620

: 00:27:19

So I think in the future, bunnies are

actually gonna be a more common house pet.

621

: 00:27:23

Dixie: Thank you so much for coming

on to talk about all of this.

622

: 00:27:27

Maria: Absolutely.

623

: 00:27:28

I was really thankful

that you reached out.

624

: 00:27:30

I appreciate everything you're doing.

625

: 00:27:31

I think it's so important and I

love listening to your podcast.

626

: 00:27:34

I think it's really wonderful.

627

: 00:27:36

Really excited to see what else y'all

come out with in the future too.

628

: 00:27:39

So thank you so much.

629

: 00:27:40

Dixie: Thanks again to Maria for coming

on the show to talk about the growing

630

: 00:27:43

problem with bunnies and Easter.

631

: 00:27:47

I just wanted to clarify one thing too,

after the call ended, Maria did text me

632

: 00:27:52

to let me know that she forgot to tell

everybody what the bump on the back of

633

: 00:27:56

her bunny was, and it was not cancer.

634

: 00:27:58

Instead it was an abscess.

635

: 00:28:00

So she did have a happy, healthy bunny.

636

: 00:28:04

That's it for today's

episode of Animal Posse.

637

: 00:28:06

If you love what we're doing,

please consider becoming a member.

638

: 00:28:09

Your support directly helps us continue

highlighting the people and stories

639

: 00:28:13

that save lives across the country.

640

: 00:28:15

Just a quick reminder, the views

and opinions expressed by our

641

: 00:28:19

guests are theirs alone and are

provided for entertainment purposes.

642

: 00:28:23

They don't necessarily reflect the

official position of the show, and

643

: 00:28:27

this information should never replace

the advice of your own veterinarian.

644

: 00:28:31

Thanks for listening, and

we'll see you next time.