UVIC rabbit rescue operation

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

4cm

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
58
Reaction score
0
Location
Vancouver, , Canada
Background
As many of you may have heard, the University of Victoria has be dealing with a ballooning population of feral rabbits. To control the population, they have decided to euthanize all the rabbits that EARS (Earthanimal Humane Education and Rescue Society) cannot sterilize and relocate. Recently, EARS has stated that they are only able to take 200 rabbits due to space constraints of their sanctuary. As a result, the remaining 1500 will be killed.

In recent news, a Texas rabbit sanctuary has offered to take 1000 of the rabbits. However, their offer may be in vain as UVIC legally has the right to continue on its current chosen path without the intervention of the Minister of Environment (who is conveniently away at this time).


What we're doing about it
A small group of us (and maybe you!) will be going to UVIC this Sunday, August 1 to retrieve as many rabbits as we can. As we are based in Vancouver, we will be taking the 6am ferry from Tswwassen to Swartz Bay and then returning later in the evening on the 7pm or 8pm ferry.


Details
As this weekend is a long weekend, we anticipate high volumes at the ferry terminals and therefore will be at the terminal with our vehicle at least an hour earlier than our departure time.

A ferry ticket is
$14 each way.
If you are already in Victoria, please send me a PM for further arrangements.

Pack a smell-free lunch you don't mind eating lukewarm and a water bottle. Don't forget to bring some treats for the rabbits!


Not around? No problem!
If you want to help but you're not able to, feel free to donate to our medical fund. This will go to help neuter and spay the rabbits along with any other medical attention that they may require.

Who are we helping
Meet Sidney. He's the rabbit we caught last week on Sunday, July 25. He's as tame as can be and thinks he's now bonded to April (PixieStixxxx).

Unfortunately, over the course of his stay at UVIC, the native feral rabbits haven't been friendly and Sidney's got bite marks all over him to prove it. He was so severely malnourished and dehydrated when we caught him that his fur feels as coarse as a dog's fur - or at least one that has rolled around in the mud for a good ten minutes.
In addition, his right hind leg is seriously injured and he's since been prescribed metacam, zythromax and penecillin. An x-ray revealed that the small bones that allow his hock mobility are fused together. If the infection cannot be controlled, his leg will need to be amputated. Check out the link above for pictures.

Over the course of the last five days, April's been slowly rehabilitating him and he's even starting to be able to stretch out.

Want to help rabbits like Sidney out? Let's do this already!

In Summary
Meeting: Tswwassen Ferry Terminal @ 06:00
Departure: Tswwassen Ferry Terminal @ 07:00
Bring:
  • $28 for the ferry (round-trip)
  • bus fare is $5 round-trip
  • lunch & water
  • rabbit treats (apple, banana, carrot, etc)
  • any extra carriers you might have; soft or hard
  • a camera
 
I've listed April, Aaryn and Christina as Mods and they will receive notifications of all updates to this thread. :)

(Marking it as a watched forum would be better tho... although edits won't be seen in the emails, just the original posts).

My cell phone is 604-818-1347, I can get text msgs, but not the Internet.


Sorelle
 
I'll put this here for now.

We (Aaryn, April, Christina and friend Katie) headed out to UVic yesterday, and brought back six bunnies.  

They were easy enough to catch using the 'carrot bits in the x-pen' trick.  They'd eventually hop in far enough and we'd close the door.  We released the ones who really panicked, but most were fine. 

We tried to target young ones and sick ones.  There were a lot of very friendly bunnies, I had one guy trying to jump on my lap.

Nobody gave us any flack (or talked to us at all), I hope trapping them that openly wasn't mostly possibly because of the long weekend.

Now that they're settling in, I do think we could have taken more, but we needed to see how they'd do and where they can be placed.  (So far it seem they can probably be okay house bunnies although I'd still prefer finding them a yard). 

The biggest news, actually, though, is that we ended up with the awesome assistance of Chris Harvey-Clark, who is head of Animal Services at UBC.  His immediate assistance --  he fixed the x-pen and located a bunny with a broken leg for us -- was invaluable, but having him as a rabbit advocate is beyond awesome.  This guy has a HUGE say on a national level in terms of the policy. 

He's overseeing the treatment of rabbits at UBC (and other universities), and that includes their farm and zoology programs and their lab rabbits.  He has more power than almost anybody in the country in terms of enhancing the lives of rabbits.

We've traded information and ideas and I think where on the same track in terms of promoting colonies, a natural diet and other badly needed enrichment. 

He's mostly into marine rescue, but he has a soft spot for rabbits that I think can be mined.  He's had NZW farm rabbits before, but I think he was surprised by the sweet nature of the UVic rabbits and he's seeing them in an even better light.

And if/when the Jericho Beach or UBC bunnies run into the same problem, I think we can count on Chris to champion a well-designed sanctuary setting on campus and never a cull.  

Chris initially weirded out the girls, who were being understandably cautious, by being a little evasive, but he just didn't want to be ID'd. 

I'll be keeping in close touch with him.  I'm even going to try and convince him to house a small 'Rabbittat' sanctuary so he has an even better understanding of the little beasts. ;) 

I'll let the girls tell you all about the rabbits we brought home. :)

We have to figure out how to advertise them without p'o-ing SARS and the VRRA, but my preference I think is to get them fixed and relocated (in bonded pairs) in fenced, backyard homes. 

And of course find sanctuaries to house dozens if not hundreds in the same manner.


s
 
I don't have any pictures of Evie =[

But I've discussed the idea of returning to UVic on a Monday night with Aaryn and another friend. Aaryn is down, the friend will need to get back to us. ( This friend is fostering Evie for me!)

But Tuesday is a good day for everyone it seems!
 
Well.. you could come to Uvic with us and help save some bunny lives!

We're all working on foster homes! I have Sidney, the most friendlest and loving rabbit in all of BC. Whoever abandoned him needs a good kicking! And then I have Evie at a friend's house - I can't take her home until she has her babies and is spayed.
 
Hey rabbit rescuers!

The Summer semester at Uvic ends next week! So I propose that we return on Tuesday, Aug 17th. We can take the 7 am ferry again.

OR on Monday, August 16th, we can take the 9 pm ferry and stake out at Uvic.
 
Is this in addition to this Tuesday?

BTW, this thread can only be seen by the TF members and Mods. :)

The little gray guy (registered as 'Gimpy McBun') is at Yaletown right now, he had his x-ray, I need to get him picked up. I was going to walk up there and back (and will still do that) but Aaryn, if you're reading this and you want to do a quick visit to see my crew, maybe you can drive him here in a more comfy setting?

Let me know, thanks!
 
PixieStixxxx wrote:
Hey rabbit rescuers!

The Summer semester at Uvic ends next week! So I propose that we return on Tuesday, Aug 17th. We can take the 7 am ferry again.

OR on Monday, August 16th, we can take the 9 pm ferry and stake out at Uvic.

Hey just letting you know, that those 2 days are no good for me.
Though I don't think I'd have the money to go again anyway until after the 18th.

Monday is school for me, and Tuesday is my mommy's birthday.


But while I'm here I'm going to post a bit about the rabbit I rescued!
I named her Darcy and she had a litter of 4. Though one passed away yesterday.
The kits were born on Monday August 2nd between the times of 7 and 8:30pm
If you want to check out pictures of them, they will be in my RO Blog "Tina's Babies".
I am doing my best to keep a daily photo journal of their growth!

Tina :bunnybutt:


 
Acquiring rabbits is a tad hare raising


By Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist

August 5, 2010

Anyone hankering after their own University of Victoria pet bunny can take one home -- at a price.

"We will allow one or two rabbits for personal use," said Don Cadden, the environment ministry's regional manager for environmental stewardship.
But that does not mean you can simply scoop a rabbit or two.

The aim is to stop the UVic feral rabbit problem, caused by people dumping unwanted pets, from popping up elsewhere and that means tight controls.

"This situation is somewhat different from the usual requests because we are dealing with animals that we absolutely don't want to spread," Cadden said.

The university plans to trap and either adopt out or euthanize about 1,400 rabbits, but the rabbit eviction is temporarily on hold because of a court injunction.

Prospective rabbit adopters must first fill out a wildlife possession form and then pay a $55 permit fee -- a charge repeated annually for as long as the rabbit is alive.

A letter is needed from a veterinarian setting out spay/neuter plans and, after adoption, new owners must come up with proof of sterilization.

Later, the ministry will want to know how bunny is adjusting.

"We want a report annually on the condition of the rabbit. It can be as simple as 'the rabbit is doing fine' or 'the rabbit has passed away.' It's just so we can track them," Cadden said.

Organizations setting up multi-bunny sanctuaries have more hoops to jump through.
On top of permit applications and sterilization requirements, an animal welfare plan must be filed and ministry staff will inspect the premises.

No one should take rabbit responsibilities lightly, Cadden said.

"These animals are expensive to look after. Rabbits cost about $1 a day to house and feed, so, if you take 500 rabbits, it's a huge commitment," he said.

Susan Vickery of Common Ground, a wildlife organization which already has a permit for its Saltspring Island location, is leading efforts to build a sanctuary for about 400 UVic rabbits at the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs.

However, obtaining permits is taking longer than anticipated, said Vickery: "There is so much insistence on little details. It is really frustrating."

[email protected]

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
 
No, this Tuesday is no good for me =[ I have final classes and exams for write for. Is the 17th ok?

I'm taking Evie home tomorrow. And my vet appointment is now on Monday for Sidney (And Spank..!)
 
Hey guys.
Jessie thinks Sidney looks and feels wormy. So he's getting de-wormed today.

Check your rabbits.

PS. How is Gimpy McBun's xrays =O
 
Yikes, I'll have to figure out the best deworming treatment for all these guys.

Really need to name this guy something other than Gimpy or 'Gray'.

X-rays suck.

It seems to be a fairly old injury, don't think there are signs of infection, but its really bad. Dislocated and broken, his hip and knee I think. Not fixable other than by amputation says Dr. Martinez. :(

He's doing great, but I think it does hurt him, especially when he knocks it against something.


1199_062028_450000000.png





1199_062033_330000000.png


DSC01576.jpg

 
Awe I almost forgot how sweet he was! I feel so bad that he has to lose his leg. But if it prevents future pain/problems, it's for the best.
As for names, I looked up the islands we were looking at on the ferry and there's Duncan, and Moresby. I don't remember if you were thinking of any of those.
Anyway Domino is demanding more play time!

Tina :headflick:
 
Sidney tested positive for roundworms and hookworms =[
Thats why banana wouldn't fatten him up!
He's on fendendazole for the next three days.

Aaryn came with Harley's poo and we found hookworm! =O

So it's most likely that these guys all have wormies in their tum tums =[:cry1::panic::wiggle
 
Hey Sorelle, could I repost those pictures of McGimpster's leg just kind of for my own journal-keeping?

There isn't really anywhere to stop by my place so how about I meet you in the parking lot directly outside of Science World on Tuesday?
 
Sure, use the pics. :) (Where, out of curiosity?)

I'm not sure where you live. If it's Yaletown, I usually drive straight up Nelson from my place, I can pick you up at the bus stop before the bridge (Beatty?).

If you're closer to Science World, I can probably find another way.

s
 
It's a secret. ;)

I can wait at that bus stop. I was trying to find something on Nelson that you can stop at comfortably but couldn't find any so hence the parking lot at Science World. But Beatty and Nelson definitely works.
 
By the way, please take pictures of your fosters, guys!

The earlier we can post them the more people who can see them (and hopefully adopt/foster them)!
 
I have an inquiring mind, secrets drive me nuts, LOL!! But I'll wait patiently for the answer to be eventually revealed. :hyper:

As long as we're texting and I know you're there for sure, no prob pulling over. I just can't go around the block, I think the next turn off is over the bridge, a couple of miles to get back there!

s
 

Latest posts

Back
Top