Big Ears Animal Sanctuary

A UNIQUE GIFT IDEA

EASTER AND BIRTHDAY PRESENT IDEAS

For $50.00 you can name a rescued bunny in your a family or friends honour. Your family/friend will receive a certificate with the picture of the bunny named after him/her.

If you would like to honour a family member or friend or pet who has passed away, you can still do this and we will add the name to the website and any message from your family. This will remain in place for 12 months.

friends and families birthday's can be purchased in the same manner. You can name a bunny after your friend or family member for their birthday or other special occasion and they will receive a certificate. $50.00.

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 your mum’s name and where you would like the receipt and certificate sent to.

SPONSORED

Veronica is one of the farm rabbits that was used for breeding. She is a mature Doe and has possibly had up to 10 to 12 litters in her 2 years of life. Veronica has now been spayed so she never has to worry about that again. As can be seen from the picture, Veronica has an injury to her ear which is healing nicely and she also had some abscesses which are also healing.

Veronica lives with 2 other rabbits that have also been de-sexed. She can be sponsored for $50.00 to cover her health checks and vaccination.

January 2013 update, Veronica had a cancerous growth removed from her ear and is currently being cared for in our hospital.

Bionic Amy has a broken leg which has been pinned. It is uncertain how Amy broke her leg but before she did so she raised about 10 kits. Amy escaped one day and had a liason with a bush bunny. From a few hours on the run she managed to find herself pregnant and gave birth to her kits and reared them. Amy's babies live at the Sanctuary and are being named and de-sexed as they turn of age.

Bionic Amy can be sponsored for $200 to go towards her vet bills for the treatment for a broken leg as well as the medication and treatment to remove the pins in her leg.

January 2013 Bionic Amy had her pin removed. Her leg has healed but she has to have some follow up antibiotic injections.

Below are pictures from the meat farm that was purchased to save the above bunnies.

Below are pictures of the rabbits from the meat farm as they now live at Big Ears

Welcome to Big Ears Rabbit Rescue

Rabbits are one of the most cruelly treated animals in the world. They are factory farmed in small wire floored cages similar to battery hens and continually mated. Their babies or 'kits' are taken away and used for their meat, fur and are sold to pet shops only to eventually be kept inside a small wire hutch in a backyard.

Rabbits are commonly used for scientific experimentation - often involving intense pain and prolonged suffering. They are given no pain relief as it is believed pain medication may alter the results. Some tests last a number of days while others may last for up to a year.

It is important to realise that there are alternative non-animal testing methods for all these tests. In fact the European Union has banned the use of animals in cosmetic testing throughout Europe. For more information on animal testing and what you can do, go to www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au

It was with this in mind that Jacqui began a special project, Big Ears Rabbit Rescue.

Jacqui's love of rabbits has resulted in the building of 20 (and growing) specialty enclosures that house at any one time approx. 80 rabbits and guinea pigs. All have been rescued or surrendered and range in age from 6 months to 9 years of age. They have the freedom to run, dig, socialise and live in pairs or groups in large pens. They are de-sexed and vaccinated against Calici Virus and have regular vet checks for their teeth, nails and general health.

Big Ears accepts any sick, injured, pregnant or found rabbits that people may wish to surrender. We would rather have a rabbit surrendered to us than given away or sold without a good forever home screening process in place.

Big Ears do not charge a surrender fee however a small donation is always appreciated or you can donate items such as left over rabbit food, water bottles or enclosures.

We like these sites for their information and commitment to improving the lives of rabbits. Even though we are vegan we support the general message of Make Mine Chocolate - to give chocolate or a stuffed toy rather than a rabbit as a present at Easter time - or any time for that matter. You can always give vegan chocolates.

www.celebratingrabbits.com

www.makeminechocolate.org

www.myxomatosis.com.au

www.radicalrabbit.org

www.freedomforfarmedrabbits

For more information on the A Hutch is Not Enough campaign go to www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk

RABBIT GALLERY

"Turtle and Midnight have spent the last 12 months in a tiny cage by the side of the road, standing on 4cm of their own droppings and getting no opportunity for play time. They have been terrorised by dogs and been given no care or love from anyone except the comfort they have given each other.
A kind woman, Mary, has rescued them and taken the scared little girls into her home. But she already has 2 rescue rabbits, other animals and is not in the best of health. She has too much on her plate to take them in permanently but has done such a wonderful job so far.
They are a beautiful bonded pair who like to chase and then cuddle and dig in their grass box. They are timid but opening up to people more each day, with so much love to give. They've had a tough start to life so need to adjust to human love first. They would like a patient, caring human companion that will make them a part of the family and not banish them to a small hutch outside."

On 18/2/12 both Turtle and Midnight arrived at the Sanctuary after being flown to Tasmania. They are in good health and thoroughly love their large outdoor pen. They have introduced themselves to their neighbours and spend their evenings running and playing and the rest of the day snoozing. Thankyou to Mary for rescuing these 2 beautiful girls and arranging for them to make Big Ears their forever home.

RABBIT PHOTO GALLERY

Brambles enjoying a good dig and then relaxing.

The issue of uterine cancer for female rabbits is a very real health issue. As we found out recently when Freddie and Frankie both went in for their spay. Both females had uterine cancer and Frankie's was so advanced that she needed to be euthanased.

Above is Freddie, now minus her sister after she was found to have inoperable tumours during her spay. Freddie also had tumours but the Vet is hopeful that she removed it all.

Above are pictures of Brambles feet and ear from when she first arrived at the Sanctuary. She had a piece of plastic stuck through her ear and her toe nails were so long she had difficulty moving.

The above picture on the left shows Brambles now she has had the plastic thing removed from her ear (removed by the vet) and her nails trimmed. She lives in a large pen with 3 friends and despite her size, she loves to run around.

Pictured above is Mayhem. She was purchased from a meat rabbit farm in Tasmania.

Herbie and Mayhem arrived at Big Ears back in October 2009. Herbie was 11 weeks of age at the time. Herbie and Mayhem were purchased from a meat rabbit farm where they lived in a cage suspended from the ceiling with a wire floor. Herbie shared his cage with other rabbits and had no natural sunlight. At the age of 16 weeks he would have been slaughtered by decapitation (fully conscious) and ended up in a restaurant or butchers shop.

Thumpi Jr Chewy and Jumpy

Penny Bowser

Above is a picture of Sweetpea when she had her chronic tearduct infection. This was a result of her teeth causing problems for her. Despite many treatments, including twice daily flushing and medication, Sweetpea had to undergo surgery to have her eye removed. It is now several months since her operaton and her eye has healed well and she presents as much happier and content. Thankyou to everyone who assisted us to make this possible for Sweetpea. Her quality of life now is incredible.

Rabbits often experience issues with their teeth, it is important to have them checked regularly by a rabbit savvy Vet.

Not a lot is known about Basil. He came from a breeding farm where he was one of the bucks. He lived in a small cage his whole life. Basil has scars on his ears and face where he has been in fights with other rabbits. He now lives in a large pen with two girlbuns Frankie and Freddy.He is not a very people friendly rabbit but this doesn't matter as he has rabbit friends to hang out with.

Bullwinkle and Jaffa both came from the RSPCA and needed a good home that could take care of their substantial needs relating to their fur. They are Angora rabbits and had been dumped to fend for themselves. When they were captured their fur was so matted that when we attempted to remove some of the fur we found massive clumps with feces and urine. We gave them a quick haircut and promptly booked them in for their de-sex and clipping. As a result of the clipping we then discovered that Bullwinkle had a terribly infected toe, and as a result it had to be amputated. Angora and similar rabbits may appear adorable as babies but they require a lot of extra care for their fur. Please consider the animals needs before taking on an animal like this.

This is Love-Bug a "wild" or "bush" bunny that was hand reared. These beautiful creatures are often removed from their nests when people come across them and find the babies on their own and assume that something has happened to the mother. Rabbits only feed their young once a day and it is usually at night or the early hours of the morning. Mum will spend time away from the nest because she does not want to draw attention to her kits.

Bigwig is an example of people who keep rabbits yet do not have them de-sexed. Once the babies are born, they are usually given away or dumped at a shelter. This is Bigwig's story. Luckily he came to live with at the sanctuary and has made friends with Molly and hasn't looked back.

If you choose to have rabbits as companions then it is your responsibility to have them de-sexed (BOTH MALE AND FEMALE).

Above is beautiful Pepper, in the prime of her life, only for it to be cut short by myxomotosis, as seen above. Myxo is a man made disease that is released to 'cull' the wild rabbit population. March/April 2010, Big Ears lost 14 rabbits to this deadly disease. I can tell you from first hand experience that this is a terrible, long and cruel disease with much suffering. The only humane approach is to have the bunnies euthanased as soon as possible. However, all this suffering and heartbreak is unnecessary. There is a vaccine available for domestic rabbits to be protected against myxo - much like they can be with the calici vaccination. The Australian government refuses to legalise this vaccine and make it available to Australian rabbit owners. In the United Kingdom they are able to vaccinate their pets.

If you would like to let the government know your thoughts on this issue please take the time to write to them or go to the following site and sign the petition.

www.radicalrabbit.org

Mopsy was seized by the local authorities when people moved out of their home and left him behind. He was found underweight and his ears had been painted multi-coloured. He came to the sanctuary in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Here he is pictured with Tilly, another rescued bunny that had been terribly abused by being hit on the face. She is afraid of humans and we accept this and don't push our friendship on her. She has become more human friendly since she has been at the sanctuary but prefers to spend her time in the company of Mopsy and they are inseparable. Mopsy has since passed away and Tilly now lives with Wigglesworth.

Wilbur and Snowy the two rabbits that started Jacqui’s love for rabbits. They introduced her to their fabulous world that involves snuggling, digging, binkying and thumping their feet. Although Wilbur and Snowy are not overly friendly to humans, this does not matter to Jacqui. They provide her with much pleasure just observing them and their behaviours. They are a true pair and are always by each others side. They are rescues having originally been found on the side of the road (a possible dumping) and then were nearly being adopted by people who had plans to eat them. Luckily our sanctuary was chosen as the appropriate place for them both and they have lived with us at the sanctuary ruling the bunny kingdom since February 2007. Sadly Wilbur passed away in 2011. Sonwy has been bonded with a new sight impaired bunny named Casper.

Webster was “on sale” at a pet store which was closing down. We normally do not support the trade of animals by purchasing them from a pet store but in this instance he was left sitting in a small cage on a floor and many children pleading with their parents as to whether they could have him. When I overheard a parent remind a child that the last pet guinea pig they had died at the paws of their cat, I knew I needed to act and quickly purchased him. It was very sad to see him sitting on the floor in a too small cage (that was for sale with him in it, meaning he would probably have spent the rest of his life in it). Webster is now a big piggie and loves to run around and lives with his friends Hans and Chiefy.

Betty and Mr Inky. Betty is a bush bunny that was found as a baby and hand reared by some people. She was given to the sanctuary as the people felt that she needed more room to run. It was our intention to see her get a bit bigger and then release her as we do not support native (bush) wildlife being kept as companion animals. However, Betty hurt her foot and whilst healing she fell in love with Mr Inky. The bond is so strong that I could not see the benefit of releasing her, and in fact felt it would be detrimental to both of them. Bonding in rabbits is incredibly important and where possible bonded pairs or groups should not be separated.

Wetherby the rabbit reminds us of just how cute and appealing rabbits can be. Unfortunately this is often to their detriment as Wetherby was an Easter purchase that a few months later was no longer wanted and he was set free to fend for himself. People often think that rabbits can survive in the "wild" and dump them when they are no longer wanted. This is not true and is not the best thing to do. Take them to a shelter or sanctuary.

Rabbits like Wetherby are far removed from his native bush rabbit relatives as is evidenced by his ears and his colourings - both impractical for surviving and blending with his environment. By dumping rabbits you are not helping them, please reconsider and do the right thing as someone else may be able to give your bunny a caring home.

Please contact Big Ears if you need any advice/assistance.