Our mission to create a nation of happy bunnies

Did you know that despite being one of the country’s most popular pets, rabbits are also one of the most neglected?

Sadly, RSPCA staff are looking after reams of rabbits who have been rescued from spending their lives cramped in cages, deprived of food and water and desperately lacking care and attention.

We’re inundated with thousands of neglected rabbits every year who are collected, rescued or seized by our inspectors.

In addition, more than 8,000 rabbits have been reported abandoned to the RSPCA since 2007 and a further 3,300 rabbits have been signed over to the charity by owners who can no longer look after them.

When I was growing up, I had a lovely pet rabbit who I called Cotton (my sister had already nabbed the name Cotton Tail!) He was a favourite member of the family and we regularly got him out of his huge hutch which my dad had lovingly made and let him hop around our garden and munch on the grass. If only all rabbits were treated in this way. Too many spend their lives living alone in cramped hutches with little opportunities to express their natural behaviour.

For example, rabbits need regular exercise. In the wild, rabbits could cover the space of 30 tennis courts in one day alone. Being stuck in a hutch doesn’t provide much opportunity for all this hopping around.

This week (May 23^rd-29^th) has seen Rabbit Awareness Week hop into action with RSPCA branches and clinics throughout England and Wales getting involved.

It is the first year that the RSPCA has been an official partner of the initiative and we’re calling on the public to get involved too.

There are lots of rabbit-related events taking place, including free health checks and educational events. And if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the large inflatable bunny which is currently touring the UK where you can add your pledge to improve rabbit behavioural wellbeing.

To find out how to make your pet rabbits happy bunnies, log onto www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk or for rabbit care advice go to www.rspca.org.uk/rabbits

First the good news ...

Last week brought some good news and some bad news for animal welfare.

I was delighted to hear that a new EU ruling will mean that clothing and textiles made from real fur will have to be clearly labelled. The new law follows widespread confusion over whether fur on the High Street was real or fake. An RSPCA poll found that 93 per cent of people think products should be clearly labelled as real or fake fur, and more than half said it would stop them buying the item if it wasn’t labelled. A further 95 per cent said that they would refuse to wear real fur.

Having worked in fashion retail in the past, I know that price is not always a clue as to whether an item is made from real fur. It is a common misconception that cheaper items are going to be fake fur. In fact in the poll, 77 % of people asked thought price would be a big indication about whether an item was real or fake fur.
This is exactly how some items made from real fur have snuck onto the High Street. Consumers deserve to be able to make an informed choice about the items they choose to buy – I just hope there’s enough people out there who would refuse to wear real fur and therefore demand for such items may diminish.

However, the bad news is that the Government has decided not to bring in an outright ban on wild animals in circuses. Instead, a new licensing scheme will be introduced. Needless to say, this simply does not go far enough. We desperately need an outright ban and the RSPCA is furious that the Government has not brought one in – especially given that its own consultation found that 94% of people wanted a ban.

The RSPCA has been campaigning to make the use of wild animals in circuses illegal for many years and thinks that animals such as elephants, tigers and lions should not be subjected to the confinement, constant transportation and abnormal social groups associated with circus life simply in the name of entertainment.

The recent plight of Anne the elephant, who was the last touring elephant in the UK, illustrated the problem perfectly. After being rescued by groups including the RSPCA, she is now recovering and rehabilitating at Longleat safari park.  But, without a ban, animals like Anne could continue to suffer.

There’s no doubt about whether a ban should be brought in - the days when it was acceptable to haul wild animals around to be gawped at and to entertain with unnatural tricks are long gone.

 The Independent newspaper has launched its own campaign to encourage the Government to change its mind and the petition is being handed into Downing St tomorrow – please do lend your support by adding your name to the petition today. The Government needs to listen to public opinion and there’s a huge strength in numbers. Log onto http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/circusanimals to help. Thank you xxx

Finally, as you tuck into your lunch today, you may want to think about what is filling your sandwich. This week is British Sandwich Week and we’re asking people to consider higher welfare choices for their sarnies. A YouGov poll found only one in ten people considered animal welfare when buying their lunch – despite more than half the people polled saying they did consider higher welfare items when doing their weekly food shop. More info at www.rspca.org.uk/fairerfillings

It's RSPCA Week!

RSPCA Week 2011 runs from 2 to 8 May we are releasing our annual animal welfare figures as a way of showing our valued supporters how they have helped us help animals over the last year.

We investigated almost 160,000 complaints of alleged cruelty in 2010 (159,686), which is more than a 10% increase compared to 2009 (141,280).

During 2010, the RSPCA:

·         Answered 1,163,240 calls

·         Investigated 159,686 complaints of alleged animal cruelty

·         Issued 86,354 animal owners with welfare improvement advice

·         Rescued and collected130,033 animals

·         Rehomed 64,086 animals

·         Treated and helped 210,970 animals in our hospitals and clinics

·         Spent almost £4m on veterinary care

·         Microchipped 67,388 animals, helping them to stay safe

·         Admitted 16,429 wildlife casualties into our four wildlife centres

The RSPCA had to rescue fewer animals in 2010, which could be good news in that people took our advice on board and were able to keep their pets rather than having to give them up. 

One of the animals collected by the RSPCA was Winter the cat.  Winter was found lodged halfway through a cat flap in Coventry with a broken leg.  The white cat was nursed back to health and was found a new home by the charity’s Coventry animal centre.

The four RSPCA wildlife centres admitted more than 16,000 casualties last year.  The RSPCA Mallydams Wood wildlife centre in East Sussex had almost 3,000 admissions – its highest in 50 years.

The RSPCA West Hatch wildlife centre in Somerset had a very rare visitor last year:  an extremely weak juvenile Leisler’s bat had to be rehabilitated for more than a month before he could be released.

Another wildlife rescue involved a fallow stag which had become entangled in a swing in Hook, Hampshire.  The deer was freed by two RSPCA inspectors who had joined forces with the fire and rescue service.  He was dazed but unharmed and wandered off into the woodland on his release.

To find out more about the work of the RSPCA please visit www.rspca.org.uk.  To find out how to support your local independent RSPCA branch during RSPCA Week and all year round, and for a list of your local events, please visit www.rspcaweek.org.uk Also, look out for RSPCA fundraisers at your local Tesco all this week too!

You can also Stand Up For Your Favourite Animal here - http://donations.rspca.org.uk/RSPCAWeek/Online.aspx (FYI rabbits got my vote, don't tell my cat Maverick!)

Follow RSPCA Frontline on Twitter (@RSPCA_frontline) for a live one-day tweet-a-thon today (Thursday 5 May).  RSPCA inspector Tony Woodley will be tweeting updates of animal rescues and cruelty complaints received throughout the day.