Animal rescue desperately seeking foster homes for rabbits after population boom
A local animal rescue center is struggling to keep up after rescuing 100 rabbits from a home in Granada Hills, desperately searching for foster homes or adopters for the animals.
Bunny World Foundation is an all-volunteer foster-based rescue center that often finds homes for hundreds of abandoned domestic rabbits every year, working to assist Los Angeles Animal Services Department. However, after coming to the rescue of the massive amount of bunnies, they're hopeful that they can find new homes for the furry creatures and escape what the owner of the foundation says is a "nightmare."
Lejla Hadzimuratovic, the founder and president of BWF, released a statement on Wednesday hoping to shed light on the situation that the foundation is currently in.
"i am extremely distraught having to witness yet another horrible backyard catastrophe," Hadzimuratovic said. "This was your typical situation where things got out of hand due to ignorance of rabbits' gestation period, which is 28 days."
The statement continued, commenting on the "tragedy of mass proportions."
"When will people learn that it only takes two unfixed rabbits to create a tragedy of mass proportions and impose a hefty financial burden on Los Angeles rescue organizations operating on a zero budget? It's heartbreaking to see many painfully neglected and severely matted rabbits living in filth, exposed to hawks, owls, coyotes, raccoons, other wildlife, and harsh elements," the statement said.
On Feb. 20, an animal services supervisor from the West Valley Animal Shelter contacted BWF for assistance in rescuing the massive amount of rabbits that were discovered on a private property in Granada Hills. The owner had contacted them after the rabbits began to rapidly reproduce in their backyard.
The Bunny World Foundation visited the home four days later, and found babies, nursing mothers, juveniles and adult rabbits running across several yards.
"Once we arrived at the scene, we worked diligently to trap and sex as many rabbits as possible. The bunnies we encountered were mainly adults, with many pregnant and potentially nursing females," said BWF Adoption Manager Jane Stonnington.
They say that they trapped and sexed at least 50 rabbits that day, taking them to the West Valley Animal Shelter. After the rabbits were processed, BWF took the babies and placed them in temporary foster care.
Among the ailments that the bunnies were dealing with, many had severely matted hair due to their long-haired breeds, which they say can be extremely painful.
Workers spread the adult rabbits between six animal shelters throughout the city.
In days since, animal control has continued to visit the property to confiscate more rabbits. On Tuesday, they again contacted BWF for help in sexing an additional 30 rabbits that were taken from the location.
Uncertainties over whether more births are on the way has LAAS and BWF workers concerned that the population of the rabbits could swell to more than 300. They believe that the process could take weeks to resolve due to the mature system of underground burrows that the rabbits dug, which could hide multiple litters underneath the home.
Before adoption, the bunnies will need medical care, spaying/neutering, vaccination, deworming and professional grooming, Hadzimuratovic said.
BWF says that the situation comes at what was already a challenging time as local shelters and parks will be overrun by bunnies who have nowhere to go after the spring breeding season and post-Easter dumping season.
Anyone willing to foster or adopt rabbits is asked to email BWF at info@bunnyworldfoundation.org with "I will foster an LAAS bunny" in the subject line.
