Windsor-Essex hopping with rabbits as shelter numbers multiply
An influx of domestic rabbits has made its way to the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society, where staff say the number of intakes has doubled since last year.
So far in 2021, there have been 275 rabbits. Thirteen this week. Officials say it’s part of a “bunny crisis” that’s sweeping, (or hopping) across Ontario.
“We’re not really sure what the reason is,” says executive director Melanie Coulter.
“There is a suspicion that maybe they are the pandemic pets that people could get their hands on when they couldn’t get dogs, but, that is just a theory.”
Coulter says they’ve searched for room at other shelters in the province, including some in Michigan with no luck.
“Shelters and rescues have just been flooded with rabbits this year,” she says.
Rabbit available for adoption at the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society in Windsor, Ont. on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2021. (Chris Campbell/CTV Windsor)
Coulter says the humane society has rabbits available for adoption, noting all are spayed or neutered.
“I think the rabbits are really challenging because they are complicated to spay or neuter,” she says. “Their surgeries are risky, so it is harder to get that done.”
Coulter tells CTV News there have been a few instances when more than a dozen rabbits would be surrendered from one home, noting the small animals are known to multiply quickly.
“They want that time out of their kennel, they want to have that interaction,” she says. “They do have special care needs, so they can be great pets, but, we definitely want to make sure that people who want to adopt, or bring in a rabbit know what they’re getting into.”
The adoption fee is $50 and Coulter says there’s a deal happening now that allows two for the price of one.
“A lot of people get a rabbit and they think of them as a large hamster that they can put in a cage and don’t take too much energy,” she says. “The reality is you need to think of them a little bit more like vegetarian cats.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.