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Kind Planet Rescues |
 Lessons LearnedOne of the first things we noticed when attempting to catch rabbits is that mother rabbits would run interference for their babies. As we would chase the youngest through the yard, the mothers would intercept our path and attempt to draw our attention. We have recognized the protective instinct an unspayed female has for her "nest" as many have charged at us when opening a cage door. We had never witnessed this behavior in regards to their babies before.The concept of Rabbit loyalty was questioned as we began placing rabbits from the rescue in with ours. Even though they may have been cage mates at The Sanctuary, lived together in one of the three groups at their original home, once they were set free with our warren, all friendships were questionable. Patches, pictured above, lived in a cage with Lucky and Big Mama when the three first arrived. Once they joined the others in our rabbit yard, the three quit speaking. 
All of the rabbits who entered the yard quickly found their space. Some joined existing groups, others went off by themselves. With the yard enlarged a bit to accommodate them all, one of our dominant males, quickly seized on the opportunity to claim new space. A few girls have joined him, no one else goes up there. He does not venture out. We think he is tired of fighting and just wanted his own domain all along. Rabbits do fight. This we all know. It would be nice if we could put each in a bubble, protecting them from all harm. Fights are not something to ignore, in our opinion. Mary, one of The Sanctuary's Founder's first rabbits, died of a head injury incurred in a battle. Many an abcess can lead to serious illness, even death of not treated promptly. At the same time, without places like The Sanctuary, many of these rabbits would have been euthanized because they were homeless. Last we heard, Penninsula Humane Society, in San Mateo CA, was euthanizing six hundred rabbits a year. There are simply not enough indoor forever homes for all. At Sanctuaries such as ours, life may not be perfect. Life never is.
The Rescue |
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