I meant having them in the space that is instructed by the society that people refer to and letting them out for so many hours etc. Without the right amount of space or time no breeder can do that with 50+ (and that is the majority of breeders average number in a herd). You are right probably no one can do that with 50+ rabbits but that is not the standard of care for every person that owns rabbits. Just because a society makes it such a "rule" does not mean that everyone listens to it or agrees to it. People may look down upon that but you have to be realistic.
Here is an update and statement from a friend of the rabbits owner, Rick, and his partner, Sandy.
"A note of thanks and advice from Rick and Sandy,
Rick and Sandy have asked me to fill everyone in as best as I can concerning the events surrounding the seizure of Rick’s rabbits and all of his equipment. They have read through this and feel it is an accurate summation of the situation.
They first want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern, love, and support as news spread. They know that some of you who have donated they have never met and they greatly appreciate all of the thoughtful comments, calls, and notes that have been passed their way. They appreciate the donations and the efforts to raise funds to help them keep their animals. They are truly amazed by the support and want you to know that it has been a huge positive in an overall bad situation.
Unfortunately as is often the case there was little to be done. On all levels of raising livestock we are fighting a battle against a group of individuals who are doing their best to eliminate animals as a source of companionship, enjoyment, and as a food source. Slowly over time public perception has shifted to believe that the animal rights activists are the experts on animal care. We have allowed them to do so, by allowing them to press the issue and by not proving our understanding of raising animals, in this case the rabbits that Rick cared for. Rick and Sandy are not claiming that everything was in perfect condition at Rick’s house when the animals were seized, but as most everyone saw from the photos, the animals appeared to be in healthy condition. They firmly believe that one of the biggest issues with the entire situation is that even if the rabbits were in clean cages a lot of the remaining items were dirty and detracted from the appearance of home. Upon seizure every animal was inspected by a vet at the IACC. I myself saw many of the vet comments at the animal shelter and aside from a few mentions of nails trimmed healthy was the only word on most every single cage. The video of the animals being transported has rightfully infuriated many as whole cages were piled into cargo trailers with no ventilation. Some of those animals stressed and showed symptoms of snuffles or pasteurellosis, those animals were immediately surrendered to hopefully protect the rest of the herd. Last Friday June 14th I was allowed to help Rick in his efforts to sort through the animals. I was amazed to learn that even though the method of transport was crude the IACC had managed to get every animal to the shelter alive. Rabbits however are not the primary concern of most animal control offices and because we have allowed others to dictate proper care standards many of the animals wound up with cardboard in their cages, or bedded on straw. On Wednesday upon our return to gather up Rick’s belongings many of the pristine animals are now dirty.
Rick does not wish to feign innocence in all of this, that every cage was perfectly clean and there was no grime or manure anywhere, he wants this to be a learning experience for everyone else. They both feel that the interior of the cages were all in all clean for the animals as is evidenced by the appearance of the animals, but obviously the exterior of the cages, the walls etc needed a deeper cleaning. We as breeders know how quickly rabbit fur can build up, but the general public does not. All of these are issues that we must do a better job of maintaining if we want to win in the court of public opinion. They see this as an opportunity if you will for the rest of us, to realize how important appearances are to the uneducated outside world. He wants us to realize that our level of care must be such that no one can question our desire to raise happy healthy animals. Quality show stock must be given quality care if you wish to succeed on the show-table, we as exhibitors understand this, but the level and standard of care that is expected must be raised.
Rick wants you to know that he wanted to fight this battle, and that your support was a tremendous help, but the lack of support or even comment from our governing body ARBA was disheartening. Only one of the district directors or officers contacted Rick at all during the last week, and that phone call was to offer words of sympathy, not any real plan of action. In conversations with our Executive Director Rick was told about the great work a special committee is doing to help educate the general public and our legislators about raising rabbits, but was left without any help to combat the issue at hand. We want you to know that it appears we are all on our own in this, and that this must change. The ARBA must have a course of action for any future animal control seizures. We must be proactive in promoting showing and demonstrating proper care and maintenance of our barns and our herds. When individuals within the ARBA are not doing their part to live up to the standards we expect, we as other breeders need to call them out on it and resolve to all do a better job long before any animal control center ever needs to be involved. When complaints are raised by neighbors we need to be proactive in discussing with our neighbors what the issue is and doing anything we can, within reason, to eliminate the problem. ARBA must be a leader, and in a great moment to show all of us what needs done, our leaders have failed us. They have failed to respond at all. For too long we have bowed to animal rights activists and stuck our heads in the sand when issues were raised. I have yet to meet a breeder who genuinely dislikes their animals. No one like that would last in our hobby, but when breeders make mistakes we must be the first to take action. If the ARBA board did not see this as a teaching moment, both for other breeders, but also for the general public at large then what was it? We encourage you to open up dialog with your district director and discover what was said or done for yourselves. Rick and Sandy know that no support was offered, no recommendations were given, and for that they are rightfully disappointed and discouraged.
When Rick got to court Wednesday he was informed that the bond price to save his herd had been increased to over $22,000, not including lawyer fees or potential fines and penalties after a court hearing. With no way to justify this he was given one option, surrender the entire herd(he was allowed to keep up to 15 spayed or neutered animals if he so chose) allow animal control to keep all but 15 of his cages and never breed rabbits in the county of Marion, IN again. Rick and Sandy were also informed that residents of Marion County are only allowed to have rabbits as pets. By agreeing to their terms he avoided the $22,000 bond and all fines and penalties that could have been levied against him at a later date. I know at times we all feel small and helpless, and in this moment I know Rick felt the same. What choice did he have?
Unfortunately this is not the end. Sandy is under attack at her property as well, not for animal care violations or concerns but for zoning and ordinance issues. According to the information on hand there is no law regarding how many animals she may care for, but a building on her property since before she bought the house is apparently too large and without a building permit. Sandy is being told that she is only allowed to use this building to serve the main dwelling of her house and not for housing animals. She is being told that raising rabbits as anything other than pets in a non-agricultural zone is against Marion County code. This is a prime opportunity for ARBA to step in but again no one is offering advice or support. The legal ramifications of what this could mean for Marion County rabbit breeders is huge. Legal advice in this time would be greatly appreciated.
There will always be those who disagree with us on how our animals should be cared for. It is our responsibility as breeders to make sure that we are the standard bearers for rabbit husbandry, not those that feel rabbits are better off in a diaper. Science and research and information must be promoted and published to protect our rights because we do not know which one of us could be the cause of a complaint next."