Saturday, September 29, 2007

Find Some Bunny To Love

Not long ago, I was forced by my conscience to bring you these stories of man's inhumanity to our bovine brethren. Now comes news of callous disregard for yet another creature of the animal kingdom which holds a soft, warm spot in the warrens of my heart. I am, of course, speaking of...the bunny. To be certain you are in the proper frame of mind to continue reading this incredible tail...er, tale of shocking human criminal behavior, here is a picture of the kind of animal about which I am speaking:
Keep that in mind. I mean it, now. Here we go.

People have been seen dumping domestic rabbits all along the South Shore area of Long Island, New York in recent months. One call earlier this month reported a man in a white sedan leaving 20 rabbits at the Massapequa train station before driving away. "It sounds like someone is raising rabbits and trying to get out of the business," said Gerry McBride, who handles criminal complaints for the Nassau Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This bunny-dumping is a practice that invariably leads to the deaths of said rabbits, who are tragically unequipped to live in the wild. They are often the victims of raccoon attacks, parasitic disease, or starvation. Luckily for some of these bunnies, the Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group is already on it, but they can only do so much. Few of these rescued rabbits survive because so many that are rescued are so young, and infested with parasites, fleas, and maggots. "It takes us six to eight months to [get someone to] adopt them," she said. "They're breeding and dying constantly."

Comments on this story at the Newsday website have been damning. Mary D of West Islip laments, "These animals are so defenseless. How can people be so uncaring?" Susan from Flushing is a bit more abrupt: "Anyone who abuses animals is a scumbag." Greta of AOL, who is a member of the Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group offers this: "bunnies can be litter trained, are incredibly social (more like a dog that uses a litter box...), and sweet, wonderful animals. 99% of the time, "negative behaviors" have more to do with the owner's improper care than the bunny being a "bad bunny". How true, Greta! How true! And if you don't believe Greta (and I!), just look at this picture:

How can you not believe that this bunny is sweet and wonderful and incredibly social? Or prayerful? This bunny is begging you not to dump it in Massapequa Park!

Finally, I leave you with this wonderful short film of the most engaging bunny of all time. Watch it and love it. And then, do your part to love bunnies. All bunnies. Forever.




all bunny pix courtesy of http://.cuteoverload.com/

16 comments:

  1. I shudder to admit that I spent the better part of 1978 begging my mother for a rabbit fur coat--they were almost as hot as satin shorts and the pet rock. I finally got one for Christmas, so I guess I have a little bunny blood on my hands as well. Save the bunnies!

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  2. I do love bunnies! I do! I do! Especially the big tubby ones who live under my neightbor's deck and drive my poor dog mad. I try to reason with him-- "No, no look! They are so sweet and cuddly!" But all he sees through his foaming fury is Die Bunny Die! We have to agree to disagee.

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  3. We have been trying to catch a little (well, not really so little) flop eared bunny that appears to have been dumped and/or escaped in our neighborhood. The neighbors and I spent over an hour and a half the other day trying to catch him. Poor little guy.

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  4. We have rabbits all around my house. They are so cute!

    Unfortunately, I think some of them get eaten by the coyotes, but hey, that is the chain of life. Nobody dumps them anywhere, they are wild rabbits.

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  5. Anonymous2:56 PM

    That is heart-breaking. There ought to be a law that metes out punishment for such criminal acts. Anyone who would do that is a cretin without a conscience.

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  6. An even larger conspiracy regarding rabbits involves the Vatican's refusal to admit that the first Pope was actually a rabbit. This complete disregard for the truth is why I will never be a part of organized religion.

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  7. Bastards! Bunny dumping?!?!? Inconceivable!!!! And you have to cutest darn pictures of them ever!!! Nance, I believe this may be one of your true callings...a voice for the animals of the world!

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  8. I love bunnies. At home, we have them in the backyard all the time. I remember when we lived in Michigan, the neighbors down the street had bunnies, and I desperately wanted bunnies too (we had the perfect space for a hutch!)

    Someday I'd love to have a bunny as a pet--preferably one of the BIG ones!

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  9. The bunnies in Belgium are cuter and more bunnyish than any bunnies anywhere.

    But we took care of a bunny for a week over spring break and I hate to say this but as cute as Benjamin Rabbit was, he was not NICE. Not even a little nice. And he slept in his litterbox and smelled like pee.

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  10. mrs. g.--I will forgive you if you promise that you never really enjoyed it. and if you spend the new millennium atoning.

    j.--dogs get special dispensation from having to love bunnies. it's genetic. and chubby bunnies--i know what you mean!

    mrsgrumpy--keep trying! what about rigging up a humane trap? google that. what good is google if you can't use it to HELP BUNNIES!?

    gina--i get the whole circle of life thing; i mean, hey--i teach native american literature. but when it comes to bunnies, i don't have to like it.

    ortizzle--bonus points for using "cretin."

    i.h.--i am thisclose to docking you points for invoking a south park reference. but because i love you, i won't. also, i have no point system here at The Dept.

    tera--but, where will my voice stop? can i just use it for the ones i really love, like cows, bunnies, pandas, and koalas? but, then there are some pretty darn cute puppies, too. see? where does it END? (I have a thing for most bears, if I must confess it.)

    jenomena--google the Flemish Giants. they are enormo. those are the bunnies they use when they film The Teletubbies.

    V-grrrl--i refer you again to the comments of Greta in my post. Apparently, Benjamin was a victim of bad bunny upbringing. I'm not calling YOU out; you were only the bunnysitter. His problems were already far beyone your scope.

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  11. Anonymous6:10 PM

    When I read Watership Down way back when, I nearly cried. There's something about rabbits dying that is just so wrong.

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  12. But they bring up a good point! The Pope's hat looks really stupid on him...but it would fit perfectly on a rabbit's head (with the ears). Our government is helping the spread of lies!

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  13. Anonymous9:08 AM

    I guess this isn't a good time to mention that I've eaten rabbits? With BBQ sauce? What was I thinking? This is what living in Oklahoma will do to you. See why I had to leave?

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  14. steve m--that is a huge book. and totally bunny-filled. i need to read it again.

    i.h.--the pope wears prada. that says it all. even if the shoes are red, they're still ugly. and as far as the lies, well, the catholic church and the government both have their sins to count on that score.

    v-grrrl--the great irony regarding my love of cows and bunnies is this: i love beef and rabbit. but i console myself by saying this: we eat only the animals that can't get along nicely with all the other cows and rabbits in the barnyard. that's my story and i'm sticking to it. don't mess with me on this.

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  15. That is just awful. Poor bunny wunnies.

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  16. Anonymous10:14 AM

    Nearsighted bunnies always melt my heart a little. I just wish I knew how they came to be equated with eggs.

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