Stuart & Roto's Sanctuary

27/02/2024

Edmund and Lucy...

26/02/2024

Lucy piggy piggy

25/02/2024

Lucy says hello

24/02/2024

I was informed about two rabbits in a zoo in Sreemangal, Bangladesh and upon talking to the manager, they wanted to meet up and sounded interested in learning about their care. So I went there to rescue, and if not, educate the people there.

The bunnies turned out to be guinea pigs. They were very scared in the loud sounds and the carer pointed out that the female had given birth to d.e.a.d babies. Knowing what I know about stress in rabbits, I quickly made a presentation about their care.

The next day, the authority agreed with me that guinea pigs are too fragile and do not belong in a zoo in the unforgiving winters and rains of the hill town. So they let me rescue them and promised me that they will not bring domesticated rabbits or guinea pigs to their zoo.

I came home with the two piggies today, they are very sweet. While they are somewhat similar to bunnies in diet and medicine, I know there is much to learn. I named them Edmund and Lucy. Since they are not technically "rabbits", I am not posting on the bunny groups.

Me and my team have rescued nearly 400 bunnies so far and we work every hour to educate and raise awareness. But of course, none of us would leave an animal who needed help just because they are a different species.

If any of my friends wants to sponsor them, I will be very happy to receive a message, I still dunno the average monthly cost for piggies. If anyone here has knowledge about them, please leave important notes in the comments.

If anyone knows a good group where I can learn about them every day, please let me know.

They aren’t neutered and we have never had piggy neuters in here, so for now, I have kept them separate.

12/02/2024

Sunny Day ☀

31/01/2024

Ronald

31/01/2024

Hehe Ronald 🐝

24/01/2024

Ronald and Sunny Day

22/01/2024

Woke up to the bunnies absolutely huddled up together like this... Sharing some much needed body warmth... Wish they allowed me in too 🙄

16/01/2024

Stuart, when he was two

11/01/2024

আমলা hay খাই গাইচ।

তোমাদেল ডায়েট কি?

30/12/2023

✨🌝

26/12/2023

Loco in the Coco!

25/12/2023

My babies

18/12/2023

Feel overwhelmed with love this morning. Thank you, Amy Basile for your kind words. I will put your bunnies and card on my wall... All the bunnies here will enjoy their treats together... and thank you for delicious vegan chocolate for meee ❤️

16/12/2023

Caramelly Jelly Belly ❤️

15/12/2023

Clifford was found in the busy streets of Dhaka a few days ago. Our volunteer scooped him up and came straight to our shelter, he is with me now.

He is a very alert, angry bunny boy. He bit us many times while we tried to treat his many wounds. To a lot of people, that is a deal breaker, but to me, it is exactly why he survived. He has many bite wounds on his whole body, his eye-lids are torn, his lip is torn... But he fought off predators every single time and made it to me. He wouldn’t have made it without his unlimited sass and kickassery. He is a fighter and a victor. I love him already.

Our sweet Coco was the same. He was saved from the great flood. The little black bun found a muddy patch of land and survived without food until we scooped his sassy butt up. Then he bit our fingers nearly clean off every time we tried to feed him. But now Coco knows he is loved, and sleeps by my face.

I think Clifford will understand in time that he is safe here. But even if he doesn’t, so what? Our love for him is unconditional.

13/12/2023

Loco in the Coco

05/12/2023

Tuli's doing better. She ate her bowl of food, and I caught her trying some hay for the first time. I couldn’t be happier, she is my child. Thank you all for your kind words of support.

05/12/2023

Sunny Day ❤️

30/11/2023

Hi Leo, Mister Silly🐰

28/11/2023

I still remember the winter night I rescued my Leo... He was in a small cage, his partner who looked just like him was right beside him, lifeless. I scooped him up and wrapped him up in my colourful scarf you can see in the first picture. I still have that scarf.

I called him Leila for a while until I realised he was a boy haha! Soon, he became the most beautiful boy I ever did see. He fought through a lot, his head is tilted upwards, and he has some balance issues... But he is one very happy boy.

We make each other smile so much! ❤️

16/11/2023

Caramel

16/11/2023

Serious side eye

16/11/2023

06/11/2023

Stuart - 3 years ago today... He used to love the sun.

The sun has gone out of my life now.

03/11/2023

I was talking to the caretaker at our shelter today while grooming Elio... It is a very sunny and hot day today, 36c or 97 degrees in fahrenheit. But thanks to our kind donors here, the buns have a good air conditioning system.

She was cleaning the litterboxes and I was grooming and clipping nails, we were chatting about where we would like to go on vacation if we ever went... "Sometimes I dream about sitting at the beach or sitting on top of a green mountain," I say. She smiles, knowing I could never go on a vacation because too many buns need help everyday. "I am like a tree at this point," I say, "and my roots are all connected to these bunnies."

She talks about the amount of love needed to make a sacrifice that big for a 25 year old, I put my hand under Elio's chin and look at his sweet face.

"What else is there but love?" I say as she sits down to hear about Elio's rescue story.

My team and I went to rescue Elio and 13 more just like him back in 2020, in the city of kishorganj, Bangladesh. We raided each pet shop, and rescued each bunny, we had the police with us too, thankfully. We didn’t have donors back then, we rode a very cheap bus and it was the hottest day of the month. We had left Dhaka at dawn and reached Elio's town at mid day. After the rescue mission was done, we were waiting for the bus home. I was hungry. Small town of Kishorganj, small little shacks in the village. We went to a small village hotel, it had earth as its floor and tin shades as its roof. Only thing on the menu was fish and meat... No vegetables. I ordered some rice and ate it with a pinch of salt and pepper, since I am vegan. Pointless to come such a long way to save an animal, and eat an animal on my way home!

Elio was in a little carrier with Oliver, munching on hay, occasionally trying to get a look at me and all the nonsense around him.

The bus dropped me down at the station at quarter to midnight, I was waiting for a cab alone with carriers full of bunnies. Nadia, Tasmia, and I were texting about the funds needed, worried sick about how to treat and care for 14 buns, while I already had a dozen more at home. Back then, I only had one room. I only slept in a corner and the buns were all around me. I was so worried about the buns that I didn't even notice how dangerous it was for a 22 year old girl in Bangladesh to sit alone at the bus station at midnight. I occasionally put my hand inside the carrier and stroked Elio's head to reassure him I was going to take care of him no matter what. On the way home in the cab, Elio looked out the window to see Dhaka city, his brown eyes - so full of hope.

Elio was adopted soon, but returned to me a year after. It was sad, but in the hindsight, I believe it was for the best. He had lost a lot of weight which made me very sad. But he recovered soon. He has been at my home ever since, he is one of the big bonded group of ten.

After telling the story, I place a kiss on his nose, such a shiny bunny! "Every bunny at our home and across our foster network has a story to tell, each more fascinating than the other." I say. "Three hundred stories in three years, I would sacrifice everything for just one."

Our caretaker goes back to the cleaning, she says from the other room, "Now I understand, it is a lot of love."

A safe, content Elio stares at me, sitting on my lap, slowly twitching his nose. I whisper to him, "What else is there but love?"

03/11/2023

Mah bibiz

02/11/2023

Baby Pablo is up for adoption

01/11/2023

Then I kissed a hundred times