Does anybody know the exact status of the Barrie bunnies?
Do we know exactly how many rabbits are available by breed and where they are?
Is there one rescue (rabbitrescue.ca?) coordinating or is the SPCA doing that?
(I'm reproducing the Sun article, worth the copyright breach).
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http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2008/03/14/5001021-sun.html
Bunnies keep SPCA hopping
Rabbits raised for food rescued from filthy farm
By TRACY MCLAUGHLIN, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA
BARRIE -- More than 300 rabbits being raised for meat were rescued from "deplorable conditions" in Simcoe County, the Ontario Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals said yesterday.
The rabbits were taken after a complaint was received, but the OSPCA won't say where they were seized because the case is still under investigation and charges have not yet been laid -- although they are expected.
SENSITIVE ISSUE
"It's still a sensitive issue because we are still reviewing the evidence," said Kristin Williams, spokesman for the OSPCA based in Newmarket.
Yesterday, the doors of the local shelter based in Barrie opened late because workers were swamped with a barrage of bunnies.
"They are keeping us busy," said Barrie SPCA branch manager Alisa Sears as she cuddled one of the baby rabbits as it nuzzled its soft pink nose into her cheek. The 6-week-old rabbit, now white and fluffy after being cleaned up and fed, will soon be ready for adoption.
Most of the rabbits were female and dozens were already pregnant even though they were nursing litters.
Dozens of the rabbits were also sent to area shelters and foster homes throughout the GTA.
"Many of them were filthy and sick and they were being bred back-to-back," said Haviva Lush, manager of Rabbit Rescue Inc. based in Milton, which assisted with some of the sick rabbits.
One of the baby rabbits, named Sprout, was operated on to remove a large abscess on its side, she said.
"Sprout stopped breathing after surgery and I gave it mouth-to-mouth and he's doing just fine now," she said. "He will be ready for adoption soon."
She warned that adopting a rabbit for a child for Easter is a bad idea.
"Rabbits make great pets but not for children. They don't like to be picked up and they need a lot of care, so we ask parents to think twice."
ADOPTION
Lush said she is launching an anti-rabbit meat product campaign to save the animals which are often raised for meat or as live bait for reptiles and raw-fed canines.
"These animals are usually raised in filth in backyard sheds and you don't know what you are eating," Lush said.
"Besides, they are social, intelligent animals. They can play games and cuddle ... they are not food."
Many of the rabbits will be available for adoption later this week.