Carriage Demo Sat, UVic Rabbits Update

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Dave Shishkoff

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Jun 3, 2010, 4:23:08 PM6/3/10

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Hey everyone! A final reminder that our demo as part of the International Day of Action for horse-drawn carriages is this Saturday, June 5^th, at 3pm.

Please let me know if you can make it, these horses need your voices!

Also, Friends of Animals is helping with the campaign to stop the UVic rabbit killings. Already, over 100 rabbits have been killed due to UVic’s neglect and laziness – they’ve had years to deal with this, and have decided to kill the rabbits.

Lot’s more great info is at www.UVicBunnies.org, and below is our letter which was published in Monday Magazine this week. If you’d like to be on our ‘short list’ of contacts for this issue, send me a note and I’ll keep you posted on activities. Visit the website to find out who you can write letters to.

Here’s the Monday Magazine letter:

http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/letters-june-3/

Bunny trouble

For an institution of higher learning, UVic has demonstrated surprisingly poor understanding of the campus rabbit situation. First, they ignored the abandoned rabbits; the result is obvious. Then, they planned to have people adopt feral rabbits—hardly sensible. And now they want us to believe killing is the right approach?

Trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs are successful with feral rabbit populations throughout North America, and could work here in Victoria. Long Beach, California, has been running a successful TNR plan on two campuses. Rabbit numbers have stabilized. Vets care for them if they are ill or injured. (At UVic, unhealthy rabbits end up suffering without care.)

A serious TNR effort would significantly curb rabbit reproduction, and in a few years the rabbit populations would shrink significantly. They would wind down altogether if coupled with an education campaign to prevent new pet rabbits from being abandoned. Local groups including Friends of Animals and UVicBunnies.org are working on this now. Veterinarians in the city, too, have volunteered to help.

These rabbits shouldn’t pay the price for our mistake. They were no more interested in ending up at UVic than being sold in the first place by rabbit breeders (who should be banned, locally or provincially). Leave the rabbits be in peace, and take action to prevent future populations.

The members and supporter of Friends of Animals are committed to stopping university proposals for ridiculous and mean-spirited killing. Visit uvicbunnies.org/whattodo.html for more on this issue, and how people can help. Tell UVic to care, not cull.

Dave Shishkoff, Canadian Correspondent

Friends of Animals

Thanks so much, hope to see you out on Saturday!

Dave Shishkoff

Canadian Correspondent

Friends of Animals