Year of the Rabbit: Canada’s animal shelters urge not to adopt bunnies on a whim

Sometimes people "get caught up in the excitement of a holiday or a larger festival" and don't really put much thought before getting an animal, said one animal rights advocate.

This Lunar New Year, rabbit rescue groups in Canada are hoping that the Year of the Rabbit would turn out to be more about awareness — a year that not only educates people to carefully consider before adopting bunnies, but also draws focus on the rampant abandonment of these furry animals.

Sometimes people “get caught up in the excitement of a holiday or a larger festival” and don’t really put much thought before getting an animal, says Haviva Porter, the executive director of Ontario-based charity Rabbit Rescue Inc.

“We see it all the time with not just rabbits,” Porter told Global News on Saturday. “When the movie 101 Dalmatians came out, everyone wanted a Dalmatian, and people wanted owls during the Harry Potter craze.”

Porter says although it’s hard to know exactly what goes through peoples’ minds when they are adopting pets, having more accurate information available for the public could help them make more informed choices.

One of the big misconceptions is that rabbits are small pets that can be just kept in a cage and not given much attention, says Porter.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Porter. “They are much more work I find than cats and dogs. They don’t belong in a small cage. They like a larger pen.”

Another thing people are often unprepared for is the medical costs of rabbits, she says.

Porter says people should always spay and neuter their rabbits to prevent them from breeding, especially since each litter can have anywhere between one to 12 babies.