"A Voice For Animals" Scholarship

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I'm going to do this high school essay that's called "A Voice for Animals". Basically you have to write an essay about the mistreatment of one animal species or one cause of animal suffering.

I would like to do mine on rabbits, but I'm needing some ideas.

Here is the link to the contest page: http://www.hennet.org/contest.php?PHPSESSID=aeaddb7d42b90d916a050d2579b919ca

They even have a link on there to see what the judges are looking for, andI will definitely read that, because I'm sure it would come in handy.

Anyway, what are some mistreatments to rabbits, specifically - or a cause of rabbits suffering? The essay has to be between 1400 - 1500 words, so it's going to have to be a large topic. If I include my own experiences, it's even better. Depending on the subject, I may have experience with it or not.

Thanks for your help!

Any tips?

Emily

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Adding on:

Do you think the controversy over rabbits as Easter pets would work? Since they are often left mistreated and neglected...?

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I started writing about Easter bunnies, but I do not like what I've written so far... It doesn't sound good.

I'm frustrated and confused on how to start and what to write... I'm supposed to have sources but how can I when most of it's all in my head? I might not do this afterall...

Emily

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Maybe you could write about the lack of knowledge of people who get rabbits. It would lead the neglect (a form or cruelty), abandonment and mistreatment of rabbits. Including some misconseptions about rabbits (easy to care for, good starter pet, good for kids) would be good. Both the lack of knowledge and peoples misconceptions lead to lots of rabbits being surrendered to shelters and rescues. As many shelters are not set up for rabbit, many rabbits get euthanized. Lots of people go to a pet store to get a pair of rabbits, then end up being different sexes and the person end ups with multiple litters of rabbits that they don't know what to do with. Keeping rabbits outside can lead to death. It could be due to heat stroke, extreme cold, neglect, predators, people or disease. This would be more for rabbits just kept in a hutch all year and not given the protection from the elements and predators, it doesn't go toward people who keep the rabbits in a shed, barn or other enclosed building (although that can lead to similar issues, especially of not temperature controlled).

I would talk about how rabbits suffer due to the lack of knowledge of the people getting them. Use examples of specific things. For citations, find some good websites to get info from, books can also be good. You might even want to talk to someone involved in animal rescue about it.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Rabbits are pretty widely exploited for a myriad of reasons; meat, fur (farmed), impulse pets, hunting, trapping, bait (dog fighting), research subjects (cosmetic & medical) and probably more that I'm forgetting.

That being said... I think discussing ignorance resulting in neglect and even death is a very safe/non-debatable route to go. For something like a scholarship, this might be the safest bet because it is one that is least apt to inspire contention. If one of the judges happened to have a small scale, very humane meat farm as a child, or used to work for a pharmecuetical company, or loves to hunt rabbits as a hobby, you're probably going to run into some problems.There's too much disdain for animal welfare & animal rights causes, and too much variability in the quality of exploitation systems, to discuss such matters in a way that won't ruffle feathers.

Perhaps it would be effective to start by introducing the noteworthy historical forms of rabbit exploitation, then point out that ironically, what has caused the rabbit some of the worst suffering is ignorance at the hands of people who do not wish to eat them, wear them, hunt them, etc. but rather people who want to have them as pets.

 

[hartleybun]

if i had a pound for every time someone said to me "it's only a rabbit" then i'd be extremely rich:X i sometimes think that the attitude shown by some sum up our throw away society.

kate's excellent reply mentions lack of knowledge. ignorance is often used as an excuse for mistreating an animal. in this day and age when knowledge is so readily accessible then this seems a pretty poor excuse.

i wish you well with this. if i may quote from a book by terry pratchett : them as can do, has to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.

good luck

donna x

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Thanks everyone

I will try and see what I can come up with on the mistreatment, lack of knowledge, etc.. I have until March 31st anyway, so I'm going to get my Senior Project done first, and then work on this... In the meantime, I'm still open for ideas and suggestions, tips, etc.

Emily

 

[aurora369]

I find for writing essays, that just writing down lists of ideas really helps. Jot down as many little tid bits, research facts and ideas.

I always start by outlining what facts I want to talk about and in what order. Group like ideas together and figure out how I am going to transition from one idea to another.

I like the ideas that others have suggested. I think you could work with it and develop it into a very nice essay.

Good luck! I remember writing so many different essays when I was in high school to try and win scholarships for college.

-Dawn

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Thanks Dawn.

I think that wriiting down ideas first, and doing research first will help too. That's what I do for school essays and it works, so I'm sure it will work for this.

I just dove right in without researching/getting facts, just using my brain, so I think that's why I got frustrated....

Emily

 

[TinysMom]

Well - since you need to be able to use citations - I'd take a case you can read about as far as abuse or hoarding - have your opening paragraph be about walking into that situation and the horror you see....and then go into a discussion about how you care for your rabbits and how it is different.

I'm probably not explaining myself well since I'm tired. But I definitely would have the lead be a "picture" that they can see in their mind of the abusive situation.

Here's an example...it is simply off the top of my head.

" The stench makes your eyes water as you enter the room. Peering into the cages, if you can see past the piles of manure, you might find a rabbit huddled in the back of the cage - hunched over in fear at hearing your voice and footsteps. Their eyes are listless as they wait for death to come for them. Their food bowls are empty for they have not been fed in days. This is the life of a rabbit that lives with a bunny hoarder."

Ok - so its really not that great...but you get the idea.

Then do a compare and contrast method to show the difference between the life of that rabbit - and the lives of your rabbits. You could alternate back and forth between them - talking about various subjects.

I may know of someone you can talk to who could also give you some information and perhaps you could quote her as a citation - she's a well-known rabbit breeder that also testified in abuse cases in court (about the condition the rabbits were found in and how sometimes you couldn't tell if the pile in the back was a rabbit - or a pile of poops).

Let me know if you're interested and I'll help connect you to her...she's an awesome woman who taught me a lot when I was breeding lionheads.

 

[RandomWiktor]

You should check out Best Friends Animal Society's webpage; they do a significant ammount of rabbit rescue and dealt with a HUGE seizure a couple of years back in Reno where 1600 rabbits were seized from a woman whose rabbits' breeding got out of control. It could have all been avoided by spay/neuter! They've had other pretty dramatic rescues as well.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Peg, that's a really great idea!! And I like the little paragraph you wrote as an example; really great idea how to start an essay. Of course I won't use your example, lol, I'll make up my own.

I also like the idea of comparing and contrasting, and part of the essay has to be about prevention, and that could easily be fit into it as well.

I would love to speak with the lady.

Emily