16/08/2024
Our rescue story of the week is not for the faint of heart - but it's important we share his story.
HRN family - meet Maverick.
Oftentimes we are asked to take in bunnies listed online for some "adoption fee" or sales price of some kind. We are tagged in the comments of countless re-homing posts daily - with most of these bunnies being unaltered and given up because the owner is moving, the kids got bored, or they got a new pet who doesn't get along with the resident bun. We've heard it all. And the truth is, we do not have the capacity to take in each and every bunny that we are alerted to online. It's up to owners to responsibly reach out to us and fill out a surrender request form. That way we can add the bunny to the waitlist and make sure we have the room for them. We will always advocate for the bunnies online - urging folks to ask for a re-homing fee to ensure the safe relocation of domestic bunnies.
When a supporter saw this bunny listed as "free" on Craigslist - something pushed her to make sure this bunny was rescued. And boy - are we thankful she saved him. Imagine if we weren't able to step in to save him? We can't even picture where this guy would have ended up.
Maverick is his name now. We rushed him to the vet the morning after he was picked up. This boy has ulcerated hocks - infection raging in all 4 of his paws. It's not just a simple case of sore hocks that we see in rexes - this is the product of months and months of neglect and poor husbandry. The "matted" fur they mentioned is again a product of severe neglect - a rabbit sitting in an uncleaned cage 24/7 with no option to escape the mess. If you've ever owned a bunny, you know how meticulous their cleaning regiment is. No bunny wants to be covered in p*e. How was he kept you ask? You're looking at it. The photo with the green cage and carrier - that's it. He was living FULL TIME in that TINY prison - not much bigger than the carrier he took his freedom ride in. What kind of life is that for an inquisitive, sweet, and smart boy? Should we even mention that he was covered in fleas.....
There is no excuse to take in an animal without doing proper research. Just because you are bigger and stronger does not mean you should use that against an innocent creature. Caging a bunny in a prison that is not much bigger than his outstretched "superman" pose is abuse, plain and simple. This post is unlike what we usually share, but we are angry. Instead of doing the right thing and surrendering him to a rescue where he could get proper vet care, he was being dumped for free on Craigslist. Thankfully, his HRN angels came to his rescue and he is safe now.
He is being fostered with lots of soft linens, proper medication, and LOTS of TLC. We are keeping him in our thoughts - infection is hard for bunnies to beat. Especially a bunny who isn't in the best shape already.
Please, please, please consider donating to our Capital Campaign. We are in the final couple of weeks and are hoping to at least meet HALF of our goal. Can you spare anything to save bunnies like Maverick? Donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/p*er-to-p*er/12e4f395-5501-496e-9ed9-98e8d0e4a043