Due to ongoing health issues for President and Co-founder Jacqui Steele, Big Ears will not be having any visitors for the forseeable future. We will do our best to accommodate visit requests for sponsors of Big Ears animals Sponsors.
13th May 2013 Ashlee Bunny Appeal. Ashlee the rabbit has had a large abscess removed from her lower back. She is on antibiotics and round the clock care to keep her wound healthy. Ashlee is now experiencing issues with her wound and is back at the vet to be treated again and have her wound debrided and restitched. We are asking for donations towards Ashlee's medical expenses. Ashlee is one of the meat farm rabbits that we rescued over 12 months ago. She is a lovely rabbit full of life and love and has really started to open up to her new life as a free rabbit. Ashlee has a chance to continue to enjoy her freedom but the past farming conditions keep catching up with her in the form of this abscess. This is the first time Ashlee has had an abscess and other than that she is in good health. Her surgeries and medication have been quite expensive and will continue to be so. Any donations will be greatly appreciated and will go directly to Ashlee's medical bills.
On April 3 2013, it was announced that Big Ears has been sponsored by Evandale Football Club. This is an exciting collaborabtion and Joe the goat has become the unofficial mascot. Story in the Examiner newspaper and will be added here shortly.
Big Ears also took in Diva and Blindy the sheep, you can find more about them in the Sponsored Animals tab.
We also had to have 2 rabbits put to sleep due to massive respiritory issues and abscesses from being an ex meat farm rabbit.
April 4 2013 a group of students from Launceston College Animal Studies course spent a few hours here learning about the animals that call Big Ears their home.
Other exciting news is the art exhibition titled RABBIT featuring photographs by Mary Costello of the meat farm rescued rabbits at Big Ears Animal Sanctuary. The exhibition is in Sydney and runs for 3 weeks starting 13 April 2013.
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March 2013 has seen a number of rabbits undergo a variety of surgeries for injuries. Blissie is recovering from a tear duct infection. Flashie is being treated for an ear wound which so far has avoided being amputated. Bramble wasn't so lucky and she had her ear amputated after what we assume was a fight that left her with an abscess low in her ear. Meg the turkey hen is recovering from having her leg caught in some fencing.
Big Ears discovered a new resident cat now named Sneaky. After capturing Sneaky it was discovered that he had a number of health issues that were going to be too difficult to treat due to his ill health and with his feral nature. Sneaky was put to sleep.
Big Ears also took in a baby goat named Joe that had been dumped. He is very poor condition and is loving cuddles and hay.
The new bunny pen has been completed and approximately 20 bunnies both male and female (all de-sexed) have moved in. They are loving their new space.
February 2013 proved to be a very difficult and sad month for Big Ears. After 40 years of life, the difficult decision was made that it was time to let Pedro go. He had been suffering with his legs for a number of months and despite medications, special diets and treatments, he rapidly diminished in his capacity to stand and to get up after lying down. It became apparent that he was in pain and after much consultation and tears the humane decision was made for him to be peacefully helped to leave his pain behind. Pedro passed with both Jacqui and Brett with him, whispering love and goodbyes from so many that loved him so dearly such as his sponsor Andrea and Saskia our hoof trimmer who developed a very special bond with Pedro.
A week after Pedro died a routine nail trimming for Milton the 12 year old steer went wrong. Milton was lame due to the overgrown state of his back foot's nail. Even though Milton was a gentle giant, if he didn't want to have something done then there was no stopping 1 tonne of steer. Therefore we had to have him anethetised. Without going into all the sad details, Milton just did not recover properly from the anasthetic or the reversal drug. Jacqui checked on him at 11.00pm and he was sleepy and she kissed him and told him she loved him. Jacqui woke at 3.00am and just knew Milton had passed. She raced outside in her pjs to find that the King of the Farm had indeed passed away. Everyone is heartbroken, including his girls Roxy, Nelly, Katie and Blossom. They paid their respects as did Jacqui and Milton's first human owner, where they both cried in the pouring rain and said goodbye. Milton spent 9 years of his 12 years at Big Ears and we loved him dearly.
As if this was not enough pain the rest of the week saw us saying goodbye to Castro the turkey who had spinal damage, Daisy and Moh and Bepo the rabbits, 2 roosters and a hen.
Other news. Big Ears took in 52 hens that were 'spent hens' and to be 'destroyed'. They are happily part of the main population of hens and roosters and are enjoying freedom to dust bathe and lay their eggs in nesting boxes filled with hay.
20 rabbits were vaccinated this month. 10 were de-sexed.
Big Ears took in a new rabbit named Winston and a sheep that was seized by the RSPCA that we have renamed Woolf. Woolf is loving being friends with the other sheep.
Good news, Jacqui saw her oncologist this week after a number of scans and tests, and he declared Jacqui a "medical marvel" and told her to continue working with the Sanctuary animals as it is obviously doing her good. Jacqui's type of cancer should be attacking her tissue and organs but scans show no sign of this. Great news and once again it shows the healing power of being with animals.
For those who have been following Jacqui's battle with stage 4 breast cancer here is an update. After undergoing a number of treatments the cancer remains a part of Jacqui's body and will continue to do so. Jacqui will receive treatment as and when it is required to improve quality of life.
January 2013. So far things have been busy with keeping the animals cooler during the hot weather. We have said goodbye to Kelly the donkey, Cola the guinea pig and Wigglesworth the rabbit who all died this month. A couple of animals have been rehomed to wonderful new forever homes including Muffy the lorikeet, Wilbur the sheep and Bing the rabbit.
We also said goodbye to 3 hens and 3 roosters including Mr Wonderful and Angry who through the month of January found that their time here had come to an end. They were all unwell and for various reasons could not be treated. They were all PTS at the vet.
Big Ears was lucky to have 3 wonderful volunteers visit from NSW and spend a week with us. The help they provided in cleaning pens and general catch up and daily chores was a wonderful help to us all. Many thanks from all of us and the animals.
Check out our rabbit rescue story on Animals Australia website http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/rabbit-rescue.php
November update. It has been a very busy time. We have sadly said goodbye to
a 12 month old turkey named Zach,
Sophie the rabbit (after 5 years with us, she was put to sleep due to the invasiveness of her cancer). Sophie's partner went into severe depression and the decision was made to partner him up again with some new friends. He lives with a number of younger female rabbits and he is seen regulary enjoying their attention.
We also said goodbye to Andre the guinea pig who passed away.
Titan one of the rescued farm rabbits whose chest was filled with pus - direct result of living in a factory farm.
We also said goodbye to David another farmed rabbit who had such a terrible eye infection that he could not be treated.
3 hens were put to sleep at the vet after they became unwell. They were ex factory hens and their time to pass had arrived.
We also said goodbye to Anna the rabbit who had only been at the Sanctuary for a few months. She had come from a lifetime of living in a tiny cage and was dreadfully underweight and neglected. She enjoyed her time here and returned to her proper weight and condition but had to be put to sleep due to chronic tear duct blockages in both eyes.
Tulip the cat was rehomed to a wonderful new place. She is a Princess so a home to herself is exactly what she needs. We wish her all the best.
Pipkin the rabbit also passed away. He had been being treated for an abscess on his jaw. He is sadly missed by his girlbun Penny.
The sanctuary welcomed back Martha and Hemmingway the sheep that had been rehomed but due to personal circumstances of the new people the sheep needed to return to the Sanctuary.
Honey-Bee the rat was also welcomed back as part of the same situation. Sadly Honey-Bee was put to sleep recently due to an unknown illness that was making her very sick.
The sanctuary also welcomed 6 ducks, 1 duckling named Quacky and 3 other ducklings that have now all bonded with Quacky.
A rooster was rescued from a car park and brought to the Sanctuary. After a trip to the vet he was treated for a dog attack and is recovering with a carer. His name is Wesley.
Also welcomed was Nemo the sheep, a merino that had to find a new home due to a change in his humans personal circumstances.
The sanctuary took in Sally the 10 week old sheep who appeared to have a broken leg. Sally's owners did not want to take her to the vet and decided that if Big Ears wouldn't take her then they would have her throat slit. Big ears took Sally in and had her treated at the vet as she should have been in the first place. She had a leg fracture which was treated and she was placed on pain medication. Unfortunately Sally did not make it and passed away the next day, a possible complication from the anasthetic? it is unknown. Poor Sally at least she died without pain and fear and would have just gone to sleep.
Update for October 2012. Jack the goat was castrated and is recovering well. 2 roosters passed away. Snowy and Casper and Sheba the rabbits passed away.
24 rabbits had their health checks and vaccinations. We are treating 1 turkey and 1 rooster for sore feet. 10 male rabbits were neutered and 10 female rabbits were also speyed.
I rabbit named Sophie had her eye removed as she had cancer and one rabbit named Amy had a broken leg treated.
The equine dentist paid a visit to all 6 donkeys and 6 ponies.
Harry the sheep had his toenails clipped.
Due to recent interest in stories written about our animals by Jacqui Steele - President and Co-founder we have decided to add a Tab titled THEIR STORIES. We hope you will enjoy the stories there about individual animals but also touching on larger issues of factory farming, neglect cases, abuse etc. These stories will focus on the positive aspect for the animals now but also ask you to consider what the circumstances were that they came from and how we as individuals can help animals. We hope you enjoy this new addition to the website.
We were featured in the Sunday Tasmanian!
Click the left and right images above to view PDF pages one and two
Like Wine? and want to help Big Ears animals at the same time? Above is the link to the Good Will Wine website where you can purchase your very own Big Ears label wine. Also above is the beautiful picture that will be showcased on your wine bottle depicting the recent farm rabbit rescue.
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ABOVE ARE GORGEOUS HOME MADE BUNNY BROOCHES. THEY ARE MADE TO ORDER WITH THE PROCEEDS GOING TO BIG EARS ANIMAL SANCTUARY TO ASSIST WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE DE-SEXING OF THE REMAINING EX FARMED RABBITS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ORDER ONE OF THESE BROOCHES, OR ASK FOR A CUSTOM MADE ONE WITH A DIFFERENT COLOUR, PLEASE DO SO BY VISITING THIS FACEBOOK PAGE WHERE ORDERS CAN BE PLACED.
October is already quite busy with the arrival of Lulu the lamb. She is the daughter of Mrs Waggs, a ewe we took in knowing she might be pregnant. Unfortunately Mrs Waggs didn't have any milk for Lulu and Jacqui had to stomach tube feed her until she learned to drink from a bottle. Four hourly feeds are a lot of work, especially through the night. Lulu appears to be doing well and grows bigger by the day.
The winter months seem to be slow months for donations so we are actively asking people to sponsor one of our animals. As our friends and supporters know, we are entirely self funded, we do not have a major sponsor and we are a registered charity. | On 29th September we took in a male goat that we have called Captain Crunch. Captain Crunch had been rescued by a lady who could then not look after him due to his size. She did the right thing and found him a new home at Big Ears. His handsome picture will soon appear in the How to Help page where he can be sponsored. On 30th September 2012 we took in a cat named Ruby. Ruby was unable to stay with her human as she has some major issues with toileting and therefore not suitable to be rehomed or to go to the RSPCA. Ruby is settling in and will eventually appear on the How to Help page for sponsorship. On 23rd September we rehomed 2 female guinea pigs. Over the past month we have rehomed Kimba the cat, 2 ducks, and Mialto the sight impaired cat. Two of our bottle reared sheep; Martha and Hemmingway also found a wonderful new home. 2 bunnies flew to Melbourne to their new forever home. We sadly said goodbye to Harry HotFuzz and Freyline but we are happy knowing they have gone to a very good indoor home. On Saturday 11 August we rescued 2 geese and then rehomed them the same day to a fabulous forever home where they can wander around, free to do their own thing but also safe. |
Big Ears now has weekly volunteers that help out at the Sanctuary. Nancy, Kath and Maureen, Miriam and Michael and Laura. Their love for the animals is obvious and they are a wonderful addition to the Big Ears team. | Our focus at present is working through the remaining boys from the meat farm rescue to have them neutered. The boys are now in seperate cages after reaching sexual maturity and deciding that they can't live together in harmony anymore. |
Big Ears took in approximately 18 guinea pigs over the past month as well as 5 roosters. The guinea pigs can be sponsored on the How to Help page.
Big Ears also rehomed HoneyBee the rat to a wonderful new home with 2 other rats for company. 2 male guinea pigs were also rehomed to the same place.
Budd the guinea pig that is apparently sight and hearing impaired was also rehomed to a wonderful new home.
2 of the male farm rescue rabbits have been rehomed over the past 2 weeks and it is likely another 2 bunnies will go to these wonderful new homes as well.
Oliver the feral kitten that was found in our carport lying in the sun to die, is doing well and thriving. We had his de-sex last week (late July 2012) to find that she is a he and now called Oliver. Oliver may have a new home to go to so we are hopeful that this will happen for him. He has begun his vaccinations and will soon be completed. | At the vet this month we had 10 rabbit neuters, 2 rabbit euthenased, 2 ducks for treatment, one with egg yolk peritonitis, another with a lump removed from his chest. Cat vaccinations are due and we have a number booked in for their vacc. and health check over the coming weeks. Cats - Beexelbub, Milo, Humphrey and Cuddlepie have had their vaccinations. Lily-Rose, Turtle and Midnight the rabbits have had their annual vaccination. We had to vet home visits to assess and treat Bubby the donkey. Later in the week the vet returned to put Bubby to sleep. |
The Sunday Tasmanian Newspaper dated 5 August 2012 did a lovely 2 page story on Big Ears focussing on Jacqui's nomination for Australian of the Year 'local hero category'. |
It is with great sadness that this month we said goodbye to Bubby the donkey. Bubby was in his 30's and had rapidly become unwell. Despite treatment from the vet Bubby did not improve and in fact deteriorated again quite quickly. The decision was made in consultation with the vet to have him put to sleep. The vet came out and kindly helped our little man without any fear or pain to move onto his next adventure wherever that may be. Bubby is missed by al his donkey herd, he was a kind, gentle boy and cared for his girls. The girls spent time with Bubby after he had passed on so that they could say their goodbyes. |  |
A UNIQUE Fathers DAY or birthday GIFT IDEA
For $50.00 you can name a rescued bunny in your loved one's honour. Your friend will receive a certificate with the picture of the bunny named after her/him.
If you would like to honour a family member, friend and animal who has passed away, you can still do this and we will add the honouree's name to the website and any message from your family. This will remain in place for 12 months.
Go to the How to Help tab that has all the details on making a payment. Then send me an email at bj2103@bigpond.com to tell me the persons name and where you would like the receipt and certificate sent to.
Big Ears is currently closed for the colder months and will reopen to visitors by appointment in October. Jacqui, one of the co-founders has just finished undergoing another round of cancer treatments. Jacqui is doing well.
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Big Ears is very busy at present with 300 new rabbits. Big Ears along with other bunny groups and supporters were able to buy out an entire meat rabbit farm that was for sale. We were able to secure all the bunnies including babies, pregnant does, bucks, 2 and 3 month old female and male rabbits. We also secured some of the cages.
Thanks to the wonderful vet and vet nurse from the Pet Time Vet Time Launceston Vet we were able to vaccinate the female rabbits, separate the males and females and isolate the bunnies needing medical attention and those that unfortunately need euthanasia. All male rabbits have now been vaccinated also.
For more information you can check out our videos on Youtube or if you are a friend on FB you can see pictures and videos there.
If you are able and would like to support this amazing event please go to our How to Help tab and make a donation via paypal or other method. Thankyou Jacqui
Our Big Ears commercial is now on YouTube!
Click here to visit our YouTube channel
We were featured in Saturday Magazine!
Click the image above to view the PDF extract (~2.8MBytes)
BigEars Incorp
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Animal Updates
2012
WE STILL URGENTLY REQUIRE CAT FOOD BOTH TINNED AND DRY AS WELL AS RABBIT PELLETS
February
Thanks to sponsorship of Freyline she was spayed on Friday.
Hector the guinea pig passed away after being diagnosed with a cancerous growth on the side of his face.
Max the silky rooster joined the Big Ears group after he was rescued from where he had been dumped.
We took in Petey the feral kitten. He had been mistreated and hit with a rock/brick that left him with an injury to his face. He is quite friendly so he must have been dumped recently along with his mother (still trying to capture her).
Thanks to a donation new rabbit paddocks are going to be built.
We have also taken in 3 rabbits, Turtle and Midnight have flown all the way from Sydney to make Big Ears their home, and little Albert the bush bunny rescued twice from cats has also joined the Big Ears family.
January
31/1/12 Said goodbye to our beautiful Gorky the cockatoo who had beak and feather disease.
Sherlock and Moriarty were vaccinated and de-sexed
Took in Declan the rooster and Polly the rabbit
Rehomed Bert and Ernie the goats
Rehomed Blossom the pony and welcomed Piglet the pig.
Rehomed Mummy and Bessie the goats, they have gone to a wonderful forever home.
Maurice Jr the rooster had to have surgery after he raced under the car and came off second best. He is on antibiotics and doing well.
1 guinea pig named Bazil has joined the other girls at the Sanctuary.
17 rabbits vaccinated against calici
Brambles the rabbit has been spayed
Sophie the rabbit had a cancerous growth removed from her third eyelid
Buttons the rabbit is being treated for suspected cancer on her nose, however she has responded well to the ointment and may not need surgery.
Tippy the rabbit had a tear duct infection which has now cleared up.
2011 intake summary
You can now purchase food at Pet Barn - Bathurst St Launceston and put it in the Big Ears container
Both feral kittens are now tame and have been named Sherlock and Moriarty. Thanks to Kerryne both have been sponsored and have had their vaccinations on 19 December 2011.
Freyline's two kits that were attacked by a rat have had to return to the vet to have their abscesses dealt with. Bings had to have an ear removed and Snoop has a nasty wound on her side that was stitched up.
On 13 Decmeber Big Ears took in 2 rats (not the ones that attacked the baby buns, these are pet rats), 2 love birds and one cockateil.
First week of December and we have take in one feral cat and 2 feral kittens
Captain Cocoa had 3 more teeth removed
last week of November we took in 7 guinea pig males
We took in 2 roosters named Coconut and Forest.
We recently took in a guinea pig that has now given birth to 3 lovely babies.
Freyline the rabbit has also had 7 babies. She came into the Sanctuary already pregnant.
Captain Cocoa had 2 more teeth removed
The 5 baby bunnies have been vaccinated.
Milo, Cuddle-pie and Beez the cats have had their vaccination
Thanks to the Jackson's Big Ears now has a portable outside toilet for the volunteers and visitors to use.
5 baby buns due their vaccination this week
Captain Cocoa and Toggle the bunnies are being neutered this week.
Big Ears welcomed Finn the mini pony. We're expecting his son Dundee in a few weeks. All bunnies are up to date with their vaccinations.
Big Ears welcomed 5 baby bunnies and 2 more rabbits late October.
Connor had his annual canine vaccination
The farrier did Pedro, Kelly and Molly's hooves.
The sheep were sheared and are all happy to be wool free.
George and Mialto have now moved into their temporary new enclosure kindly donated by the Jackson's. Both cats are loving the serenity - and all the food 'just for them'.
Tulip, and Pudding both had their annual feline vaccination. George the cat has a rash that the vet says is stress related. We will need to build him a new enclosure to live in, possibly with Tulip and Mialto so he doesn't feel as stressed as he does now living with 9 other cats. If you would like to help please go to the How To Help page and make a donation.
October - we welcomed Rita the rabbit and said goodbye to two hens and Peanut the guinea pig that passed away.
We have 20 rabbits due their vacination and 5 cats due their vaccination also.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
As some of you would be aware Big Ears co-founder Jacqui Steele has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer which has spread to various parts of her body. As a result Big Ears will not be receiving visitors for the next few months whilst Jacqui undergoes treatment. The Big Ears animals continue to call the Sanctuary home and nothing changes for them in this regard. The only difference is we are unable to take in any more animals for the time being.
There may also be some delays in responses to your enquiries and we ask for your patience, we will definitely be in contact with you when we can regarding your sponsorships or other queries. Once again thankyou to everyone for your support and offers to help. It is wonderful to see a number of animals have been sponsored over the last few weeks. This certainly helps ease the load for us and to concentrate on getting Jacqui back to her best so she can again do what she loves the most - caring for the animals.
We did hear some of the animals braying and squarking the other day only to find Jacqui out of bed and slowly walking around the farm saying hello to the animals. It was a sight to behold with chickens, geese, rabbits and turkeys all around her while she stood there in her pj's tears streaming down her face with happpiness at seeing everyone again.
September is shaping up to be a big vaccination and health check month for 20 rabbits and 4 cats. If you would like to help out please see the How to Help page to make a donation or to sponsor and individual animal
This has been held over until October due to Jacqui's treatment and we are slowly working through the list for vaccinations.
August we took in approximately 12 hens and 4 roosters, 3 guinea pigs and 1 rabbit and 1 pig named Fonzy.
25 July 2011 we took Nickel the lamb to the vet as her eye infection has not improved. Now on a different eye oinment so hopefully this will clear it up. We also took in Daffy the duck who was having balance problems which we now think is due to his sight impairment and we had a hen put to sleep due to egg yolk peritonitis.
It has been a busy time at the vet with Frankie staying in for 3 nights with a prolapsed bowel, one of the lambs has an eye infection and is on antiobiotic injections as well as eye cream. 3 rabbits have been de-sexed and 4 cats.
We have welcomed 3 roosters, 2 lambs, a feral cat captured here on the property, 2 rabbits, 1 which gave birth to 5 kits.
July has been a very sad month, we have said goodbye to 6 rabbits for various health reasons, 1 guinea pig, 1 chicken, 1 rooster and 1 parrot and Annie the german shepherd.
Thankyou to Orion tanks and the Murray's for helping us to provide new housing for the pigs. Go to the Gallery page for pictures.
June
Annie went to the vet on 27th June and now weighs 26 kilograms. The vet performed an ultrasound and it was found that Annie does look to have cancer and also part of her vertebrae is fused which explains why she has been limping. Annie is now on pain relief medication.
Frankie the pig also went to the vet to have the site of his wound drained and a vaccination. Frankie is currently on antibiotics.
29 June Alexander the cat went to the vet to be castrated as well as having a lump in his chest checked.
we welcomed 2 doves, 2 kittens and a cockatoo and a cat.
25th June saw another productive working bee. Thanks to everyone that helped with the new dog running areas, this will help minimize the amount of dirt the dogs get covered in and makes it easier for them to come inside.
we said goodbye to Lily the pony who had to be PTS after developing a stomach blockage. We also said farewell to Rascal Scampini and Doogal the rabbits.
we welcomed George the cat and 7 guinea pigs.
rescued a chicken from a hawk and she is in the hospital receiving treatment after a visit to the vet.
Flashie and Jimmy the rabbits were neutered thanks to someone sponsoring them.
we took in a piglet and have named him Frankie
May
This week (23rd May 2011) we said goodbye to Major Tom and Miss Mog the cats. They were both put to sleep due to ill health and age.
We welcomed Nina and Paddy the rabbits.
Who's in the hospital - Bosco is still receiving his daily medications and flushing. The wound is looking clean and appears to be healing. Back to the vet for a visit this week.
Annie is still struggling to put on weight.
Lucas's ears appear to be clearing up. He still recieves daily medication as well as daily ear cleaning.
Mojo the rabbit is unwell, perhaps teeth? off to the vet for a consult
Ally the chicken has a sore foot and is off to the vet this week
Chewy, Scratchy and Jumpy the rabbits had their spay and neuter last week. Stitches due out in 14 days
Julia is due her calici vaccination and is off to the vet this week
Thanks to a sponsorship both Butterscotch and Sophie the rabbits are booked in for their spay this week.
Vet to visit to castrate Wilbur the mini pig
Connor the dog is having some problems with his ears again, will have a check up when the vet visits.
Meldrick the turkey appears to have his eye infection back - check up when vet visits.
So far for May we have taken in 6 birds, 1 pig, 1 turkey and 1 cat and 2 ponies
Summary for April, the Sanctuary took in 1 dog, 3 cats, 2 ponies, 1 kitten, 1 cow, and 1 duck.
Who's in the hospital - Bosco the rabbit has had an operation to remove an abscess in his nasal cavity. The wound needs to be flushed daily, antibiotics injected and pain medication provided daily. Annie the GSD is too thin to have her spay or to have the mammory lumps looked at, she will also need an X-ray. We have to get Annie to put on some weight. Vanilla the rabbit is also thin and needs to have more weight on her frame before the vet can look at what has caused the second lump to appear under her jaw where she recently had a jaw abscess. Lucas-Bear the GSD had an operation to allow the vet to clean his ears. His ears had a major infection. He is now on antibiotics daily, and ear cleaning and flushing daily.
Easter Saturday saw the arrival of a beautiful old dairy cow named Blossom. She is 18 years old and will live out her days here at the Sanctuary.
Early April we took in Sunny and Pixie 2 beautiful mini ponies who will now call the Sanctuary home.
Last week we had to take Hemmingway to the vet, he had an abscess on the side of his face, possibly caused by a grass seed.
In March the Sanctuary took in 6 roosters, 2 rabbits, 1 kitten, 1 dog, 15 geese, 1 duckling, 1 pony and 1 goat.
15 Geese have joined the Big Ears family as well as Lucas our new German Shepherd rescued by NSW GSD rescue. He is extremely emaciated, missing hair and has an ear infection.
Billy the sheep and pebbles the cat were both rehomed to wonderful new families.
we took in 3 young roosters and a 7 week old kitten that had been hit by a car and has a broken jaw.
2nd March 2011 saw the end of an era with our old gent of the farm Kevin the Rooster passing away. Kevin was our first rooster and joined the sanctuary in 2006. He was always such a gentleman and the hens loved him very much. He is dearly missed by all that had the pleasure to know him. He was approximately 10 years old.
12 February 2011 the Sanctuary featured in the Tasmanian Mercury newspaper
11 February 2011, Pudding the cat is having her spay and microchip today thanks to the sponsorship by Ann Cook.
1st week of February we welcomed Charli the cockatoo and TomTom the long billed corella
The months of Janaury and February saw Big ears provide a forever home to 8 rabbits, 3 roosters and 4 birds.
11th January 2011 Southern Cross Television came out to take footage of our animal family for a commercial about Big Ears. The commercial is being made free of charge and will also air free of charge. Keep an eye out for the Big Ears commercial coming soon. A Big Thankyou to Southern Cross Television
2010
December saw the Sanctuary take in 1 bird, 11 rabbits, 1 guinea pig, 37 hens, 5 roosters and 1 turkey.
It has been a very busy few months leading up to the NY. We have welcomed a group of 50 hens/roosters, 2 guinea pigs, 5 rabbits. We have also said goodbye to some dear friends including our rabbit friends Holly and Mopsy, and Spencer who fought a long hard battle against jaw absesses.
We also welcomed Gobbler the Turkey and Marvin the budgie.
November 2010 saw the arrival of 1 rooster, 7 rabbits, 1 chick and 1 guinea pig
October 2010 the Sanctuary took in 3 rabbits, 5 roosters, 12 hens, 4 geese, 1 dog, 1 goat, 1 sheep and 1 guinea pig.
We welcomed Connor the GSD into our family as well as 2 lop ear rabbits, 4 geese and hens and roosters.
August and September have been very very busy. 2 new born lambs arrived, roosters, rabbits and 2 corellas and a ferret (now rehomed). The pregnant guinea pig ended up not being pregnant whch was good news. It has also been a sad time with a number of animals passing away, including Guzzle-Bug, whose loss is felt every moment of every day.
So far in July we have taken in 3 roosters, 3 rabbits, 1 one-eyed cat and 1 pregnant guinea pig (see the animals page). We have said goodbye to 3 rabbits, one of which was Teddy who was 10 years old and had lived in our bathroom for over 12 months to recover from pneumonia (se the In Memoriam page).
We have had a wonderful person come forward to sponsor 4 of our rabbits to be spayed.
In June we took in 2 old sheep aged over 10 years, 7 ducks, 2 geese and 2 older goats aged 9 and 10 years.
May was a good month. We welcomed a new rabbit named Roger and all other animals are happy and healthy. We hope to resume our Spay In May campaign but it now may be called a Spay in June. If you would like to help us spay some of our lovely rabbits and thus reduce their risk of cancer then please see our How to Help Page to donate.
April is the hardest month of my life so far. We had our darling boy Zeus the german shehperd put to sleep after 14 fabulous years together. We miss him very much.
We have had more myxo heartbreak with Gracie, Bullwinkle and Hazel-rah PTS on 13th. On 14th April I found Velvet dead and Rascal very ill. Rascal has since recovered (not myxo related). 2 chickens have passed away - ex battery hens so the vet could not say what the illness was, could be any number of reasons.
On the same day that we said goodbye to Zeus we had 5 more bunnies PTS for Myxo - Pumpkin, Clover, Dandelion, PawPaw and Stanley. A few hours later I found a kit that must be the offspring of Dandy after she went on an adventure some weeks ago. The kit is doing well, I am bottle feeding him and his eyes are yet to open, perhaps 5 days old.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Crackers the 36 year old horse we agisted here had to be PTS on Sunday 18th April.
The sadness hasn't ended yet with a few more rabbits looking like they have myxo symptoms.
Thankyou to those who have made donations to assist with me buying cages to move the bunnies inside in an attempt to reduce the myxo outbreak.
In honour of all our wonderful animal friends I am creating a memorial page to celebrate the wonderful lives we were lucky enough to be a part of.
March has brough much heartache with the virus myxomatosis infecting a number of our bunnies. This is a cruel and unnecessary disease as there is a vaccination available yet the Australian Government has made it illegal as they fear it would interfere with immunity rates in the 'wild' population. in total 5 rabbits had to be put to sleep because of this revolting deliberately spread disease.
Coming Soon - I am in the process of making greeting cards using a variety of pictures of our Big Ears rescued animal friends. All the cards will feature an animal on the front and will be blank inside. If you would like to order some of these cards please email me and see our payment details on the "How to Help" page. Please see the Shop page for examples.
March has started with Sweetpea the rabbit finally having eye surgery and having her eye removed. This has happened after a number of months of trying various medicines and therapy for her. The highly risky surgery went well although her eye area is still infected. Any donation will greatly assist in Sweetpea's ongoing recovery. She is featured on the Rabbit Resuce page.
February has been another busy month for Big Ears. We have taken in a variety of chickens and roosters, birds and guinea pigs. Please visit the gallery for photos.
We have also successfully re-homed 2 of our beautiful bunnies to wonderful indoor homes.
We need your help. We have just taken in 9 female bunnies that may be pregnant (one with half her ear cut off). They will need to have their de-sexing operation and vaccinations. If you are able to make a donation to assist us with the operation costs please do so at the How to Help page. Thank you.
Please see the bottom of this page for a photo of them all sharing the litterbox.
Since the last update we have had a number of animals pass away. Princess and Queenie the old sows, Ringo the guinea pig, Rory the cockatoo, Dolly the dove, Mimi the goat, Toffee and Blackberry the rabbits.
We have also welcomed 7 new roosters, 2 which were dearly loved pets but needed to be re-homed. They are named Louie and Rusty and are beautiful birds. The other roosters are named Herman and Sherman, Bruce, Sylvester and Albert.
We have also welcomed 3 new rabbits, named Stanley, Sullivan and Faith and a cockatoo named Magic.
In October we welcomed 3 meat rabbits, Herbie, Mischief and Mayhem. Their stories will be added shortly.
We have been busy looking after a number of high needs animals, particularly two rabbits named Teddy who developed pneumonia and Sweetpea who has a chronic tear duct infection. These illnesses are on going and need lots of attention and medication.
Late September we welcomed 4 rabbits named Bosco, Wigglesworth, Giggles and Sophie and 3 pigeons named Razzle, Dazzle and Jazz.
In August 4 roosters were dumped on our property and unfortunately they ran onto the neighbours property and were extremely hard to catch. After a month I was able to lure them over to our hen area and 3 of the 4 have now moved in and are becoming friendly. We have named them Mustafa, Saladin and Yossi. The fourth illusive rooster is named Giovanni.
In July the sanctuary took in 4 pigs. 2 are miniatures now named Winkerbean and Applesauce that had been with an animal hoarder.
The other 2 pigs came from a family that needed to re-home them. They are called Tibby and Lena. We suspect, as did the previous family, that Lena has hearing difficulties.
Pumpkin the rabbit was de-sexed and had his eye treated. He will soon be able to move in with his sisters whom he has lived next to since he arrived.
Baxter the guinea pig died. Taupie the guinea pig became very unwell and we treated him for possible vitamin C deficiency and he has recovered.
13th July 2009 - Vet amputated Bulwinkles toe because of an abcess we discovered, but he is still in good spirits.
12th July 2009 - Brett was in the pig shed when he was charged and headbutted by Princess, the 300kg plus sow. Princess has never been very 'people friendly' most likely due to poor treatment by humans in her past. As a result of the headbutt Brett received 6 stitches and is cut and bruised on the face. He is recovering well.
8th July 2009 - Bullwinkle and Jaffa were de-sexed, clipped and vaccinated - both recovering well.
4th July 2009 - we received 2 English Angora rabbits. We have named them Bullwinkle and Jaffa. Please see the How to Help page for photo and other details.
We have been treating Pumpkin the rabbit for an eye infection as well as Sergeant Pepper who had a nasty grass seed in his eye. We noticed his eye looked a bit sore and red and upon closer examination we were able to remove the seed and started him on some eye ointment (under Vet guidance).
Lily the duck has also had a sore eye, we are flushing and treating this daily. She has moved in with Dusty so we can administer to her more easily.
We believe all the eye problems are as a result of some heavy winds we have had blowing the hay around.
28th June 2009 we took in 2 guinea pigs we have named Taupie and Gustav. They are both happy, healthy little boys with no signs of the skin infection that had plagued Gustav in the past. They have moved in with Gracie the rabbit which has been a win win for all, as she has some company (she wont accept other rabbits) and they have a nice bunny mummy to look after them.
Clarence the pig is recovering well after his operation on his front leg. He is an excellent patient, putting up with injections, wound dressings and irrigation and being made to move several times a day. He keeps his good humour and constantly chatters (oinks) away while being attended to.
Humphrey is like a new kitten after being de-sexed. He is less feisty but far more smoochy - getting lots of cuddles and kisses.
Nancy the guinea pig has recovered after her operation on her hind leg where she had a tumour. Her partner Sid was very pleased to have her back in their paddock.
Sergeant Pepper and Spencer the rabbits have had stitches removed after their successful neuter operations. Sergeant Pepper has moved into the paddock with his bunwife Butterscotch and children Vanilla and Blueberry. He is very happy to have all the female attention and grooming.
The sanctuary has received two new rabbits - Sweet William and his mother Amanda Rabbit. They came from Brightside Farm Sanctuary after being rescued from a dirty small hutch. Both were extremely underweight but Jacqui believes she can soon fix that. Big Ears has had Amanda Rabbit de-sexed and an abcess operated on and both are out of quarantine, vaccinated, wormed, flea/tic treated.
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All photographs on this website are the property of Big Ears Animal Sanctuary Inc and are not to be copied or reproduced.
