200 Rabbits Rescued in Colorado

[Pipp]

racerabbits wrote:

This is what I am saying. They went about this all wrong. IF the rabbits end up going out for adoption, for whatever reason...who is equipped to take on Wool Breed rabbits? They would all be sterlized at a great cost to the animal shelter. It would have been best to plan this out and look at all the angles.

I haven't said there is room for improvement with her rabbitry, just wanted to give both sides of a one sides news report.

racerabbits



Pipp wrote: I would have preferred to see warnings, attempts at monitoring the situation, initiating or requesting a herd reduction, citations requesting better grooming and firm, workable suggestions for enrichment, etc, before taking such drastic action.

I did read it as saying they were NOT throw-away rabbits, I knew what you meant there. (I've corrected that as well for you).

We are saying the same thing when it comes to the rabbits being seized.

I appreciate your input on this. This kind of information is crucial. I will never make judgements without hearing all sides.

And I always leave room for the gray areas, these things are never black and white -- one side is right, one wrong. Truth and perspective are complex things and it takes a lot of detail to figure it all out.


sas

 

[Kipcha]

Hmm, since you went to the barn so many times, do you have any pics? I think that would really help here.

I'm majorly on the fence now... You're making pretty good arguements racerabbits, but there is a lot of blanks...

Not that my opinion on the matter really makes a difference

However, something about that article really bugs me. People throw the term "hoarder" around without even knowing what it means. This person is obviously not a hoarder.

 

[racerabbits]

in answer to your:

I obviously hate rabbits being fed to raptors.

How we do the "food chain" of raptors and zoo animals and snakes is all animals are euthinized, not fed alive. We don't raise rabbits just for that purpose, but if a rabbit needs to be put down, we choose this manner rather than waste the rabbit.

 

[racerabbits]

I would love to share details regarding the legalities of what went down that day, once I have permission from my friend and her attorney. I don't want to pass on hearsay. The details I have shared, to give her side, are all first hand.

 

[Pharfly]

Just going too add from working in a shelter, it is easier too sign the animals over to the shelter, then too deal with the courts and legal fees too get them back. Now unless the Media gets too carried away charges will likly no be pressed. She turned the animals over to AC. 200 rabbits and cleaned 1 time a week is not enough, we all know rabbits are poo machines! It sounds like she became overwhelmed with rabbits. Which can happen pretty fast! I have too stop looking at Kijiji because if I didnt have will power I would have 20 rabbits now! lol

 

[plasticbunny]

Still confused as to why she didn't have a license... Imagine you were pulled over by a cop because someone reported your vehicle as "driving erratically". The cop asks to see your license, and you don't have one. Your car is seized. How is this scenario different from having her herd seized? If there's no license, there's no right to breed...no?

I mean, isn't this reason enough to seize her herd?

 

[JadeIcing]

License... You don't always need one. Laws can very from one are to another.

 

[mistyjr]

:yeahthat:

You dont need a licenses if you sell less then $500 of bunnies a year in pet stores, ect.

 

[Pipp]

My pens get cleaned here once a week.

 

[Kipcha]

I clean once a week too, unless it happens to be really bad (A bunny gets diarrhea or something). I don't see anything wrong with that.

 

[golfdiva]

My dad always said, there are 3 sides to every story...yours, mine and the truth!

 

[Silverwolf_Rabbitry]

Yes they can very but the USDA has License that are required no mater what state you are in what type you have to get deponds on if you sell and how many you sell the jury is still out on the exibiter License that I am trying to get more info on... the paperwork is not clear if its only for petting zoos or show people aswell have yet to get an answer on it.

 

[gentle giants]

plasticbunny wrote:

I find two things very hard to digest.

First, she had DEAD RABBITS in her herd. I'm sorry, livestock or not, you are negligent (or mildly retarded) if you have DEAD ANIMALS in your barn and don't know about it.

Secondly, she didn't have a license. Does that mean she's never in 30 years of breeding had a license? What is the purpose of the license? Do all licensed breeders need to succomb to regular inspections? Or pay taxes on their business? Why would she NOT have a license if she was an honest breeder?

I think what I saw in the info posted previously is that some of these rabbits were euthanized to send to a zoo and feed to prey animals, if I am wrong about that someone please let me know. Did the AC people specifically say the dead rabbits were laying around in cages, or in cold storage?

Also, I don't know about in Canada, but here (in most states) licensing is not required to breed rabbits. I feel personally that forcing someone to pay for a license because they want to raise animals is unconstitutional, that to me is a pretty basic freedom!

I don't have anything like 200 rabbits, but I would be EXTREMELY outraged if AC came in and took all my animals away without even talking to me, giving a warning, whatever. And I'm sorry, but if you have never cared for animals on a large scale, you have no idea what it's like. For example, I have a small herd of dairy goats. Their hooves need to be trimmed every few weeks, or they get overgrown and can begin to cause them problems walking. Hoof trimming is not a fun job, these animals are in the neighborhood of 150ish pounds each and they don't like their feet messed with.
So I take care of their hooves about one goat a week, on a rotating schedule. So anytime you come out to my place, you might find one or even two with hooves that are longer than they should be. Does that mean they are neglected, or that I am not caring for them? Nope. But AC doesn't tend to see things that way. And when you have 200 rabbits at one time to care for, the sheer scale of that job/work just to feed and water them daily is HUGE.

One last thing, I think it was mentioned previously that you can't just believe what the media tells you. Shocking, sensational news is what sells. If they have to "juice" it up to sell, they will. The media is not a non-profit organization, they are out there to SELL!

 

[gentle giants]

Silverwolf_Rabbitry wrote:

Yes they can very but the USDA has License that are required no mater what state you are in what type you have to get deponds on if you sell and how many you sell the jury is still out on the exibiter License that I am trying to get more info on... the paperwork is not clear if its only for petting zoos or show people aswell have yet to get an answer on it.

No, you don't. The only way you need a license is if you sell more than $500 worth in a year, or if you are selling them for meat/human consumption. The USDA wants you to think you have to pay them for licensing, but unless the laws are different in WA than they are here in IL you don't have to have one.

 

[Pipp]

The conditions here looks very bad.

http://photos.denverpost.com/mediac...-in-deplorable-living-conditions-in-jeffco/#8

I think this one was justified.


sas

 

[Kipcha]

Whoa Pipp, that looks pretty darn bad...

 

[Myia09]

Ugggh I should refrain from posting in general..but here is my very very nice statement.

Obviously from the photos this is abuse. If you are going to take on that many rabbits, breeder or rescue, you need to clean better than that. Seriously. That isn't a couple days worth of dirt and filth.

As a owner of an angora and jersey wooly, I HAVE to brush mine every week to prevent matting. They don't "just groom" them for shows. And if you are a breeder who undertakes these breeds, prepare for the work.

Horrifying. Horrifying. Deeply saddening, and I hope these rabbits go to a home and know what a toy is, what a kiss is, and what the feel of a soft surface feels like.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

It is what it is, what you see is what you see. There is no excuse for the condition the rabbits were in. I am upset at the neighbor defending the lady. Did the lady see the conditions and how they were going crazy just to get water. Sitting in their own urine and feces. Does she realize that a handful were dead? I can understand 1 or 2 dying but a handful says that they are certainly not cared for properly. Poor bunnies!!! I am very happy they are in good hands but still saddened that this goes on as much as it does around the world. It just makes me sad and sick to my stomache.

 

[Inle_Rabbitry]

As more information became available concerning this event, the more I felt on the fence about it.

However, after seeing the recent pictures, there seems to be no doubt as to the factual extent of things.

In conclusion, I do feel there is a need to point out that BOTH parties (the breeder and the AC) are at fault for not properlly handling things in this situation.

I do agree that the AC had no right to go in there without the breeder's knowledge. And if the rumors are correct in that they intentionally turned off her water and swamp cooler to pose as reasons to sieze the rabbits, then that too is ovbiously a serious fault on their part. Also, they didn't seem terribly knowledgable in what they were doing from the get go and it seems like they only wanted the attention (which is of course not unheard of for the AC to do, sadly).

As for the breeder, I truely believe she may of had good intentions - originally. She was obviously passionate about breeding and showing. I personally think she just didn't have the expertise in proper rabbit care. And in the end it was her rabbits that suffered for that ignorance. The main issue I really had was the fact of how many rabbits she had. Personally, I think someone with around 200 rabbits is destined to be in over their head. But that's just my personal opinion. I just don't see how any one person could handle, care for, and properlly clean up after that many rabbits. Let alone a breed that requires DAILY grooming in order to stay healthy.

Whether they are pets or livestock (and it's not my place to judge) rabbits REQUIRE-AT THE VERY LEAST; food, a CONSTANT supply of fresh clean water, grooming, and cleaning up after. Those are just the simplest needs-of any domestic animal kept in confinemnt. This breeder obviously couldn't even take care of the bare minimal requirements.

So again, I easily see the faults in both sides, but ultimately, I'm very glad that these rabbits are no longer in those conditions.

 

[MareBearBunny18]

For one if her rabbits were being taken care of there wouldnt be DEAD RABBITS!!!!! And i honestly think she should have gotten charges pressed on her. If u dont notice dead rabbits u have a problem. And when u have multi rabbits there cages need to b cleaned more then 1 once a week mine since i have my 3 lil girls i clean them out 2 times. and 84 it is still bad for them to be in the heat!!!! heat stress!!!! Damn. If ur gonna breed u need a license and u should b checked out befor and after getting ur license!!! I think every state should do a breeding class.