Document type : article published in Eurogroup for Animals
Author : Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund
Preview: (...) When did Rabbit Welfare join Eurogroup for Animals and why?
What were Rabbit Welfare's main achievements in 2023? (...)
Educating and supporting rabbit owners is key to improving welfare (...)
Farm parks, petting zoos and animal encounters (...)
Not all vets are rabbit savvy
Because of their complex care needs, rabbits are classified as an exotic pet, which is a surprise to many owners. Whilst in training, vets spend a worryingly little amount of time learning about rabbits. This does vary between vet schools, but to become rabbit savvy, it means the vet has to go out of their way to do more training and continual professional development (CPD) on rabbits. We have a rabbit friendly vet list on our website and a big part of our resources are dedicated to keeping the list online and up to date. (...)
Lackof enforcement
Local Authorities are supposed to enforce the legislation that does exist to protect rabbits. We report many cases a year where for example a farm park has poor welfare. Sadly the results are usually disappointing. Local authorities have limited resources, and priorities mean they do not enforce the legislation. Different authorities can also have very different approaches, which we think should be standardised. In 2024 we aim to produce a pack for anyone who works with rabbits so they can see which legislation applies to them. This will provide clarity and should help with enforcement.
Brachycephalic (flat faced) breeds (...)
How can the public act for Rabbit Welfare?
We would love for everyone toadd their signature to our petition to amend legislation to ensure rabbit breeders require the same licensing as dog breeders. We're close to 100,000 signatures! (...)
