A Bristol charity has warned of a "rabbit breeding crisis" after being inundated with the unwanted animals. Bristol Animal Rescue Centre has reported a dramatic increase in the number of rabbits it is caring for in recent months but said it's just one of many centres across the country being overwhelmed as fewer people are coming forward to offer the pets new homes.
The RSPCA has previously reported a nationwide rabbit breeding crisis, claiming that rescue centres across the country are being inundated with them, with UK branches nationally dealing with 1,942 unwanted rabbits last year.
In 2022 Bristol ARC saw a 33 per cent increase in rabbits being brought in compared to 2021, and double the number that it saw in 2020. The charity says that this year's figures are on track to surpass last year's.
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Jodie Hayward, Animal Home Manager at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, said: “It’s hard to pinpoint one particular reason for the sudden influx. One element could be the cost of living crisis – rabbits are not a cheap pet to keep, and they require more care than most people initially realise.
“Some owners may not be able to afford neutering, or perhaps have adopted a male and a female without realising and then finding that they end up with babies they cannot care for. Our advice to anyone adopting pairs of rabbits is to take them to the vet as soon as possible to check their genders and have them neutered,” she added.
A single female rabbit can produce up to 30 babies in the breeding season, which is usually February until late summer, and they can be mated and become pregnant again within hours of giving birth.
In a typical year, Bristol ARC would house five to eight rabbits, but it currently has 19 in its care, with "more arriving every week." The charity says that many of the animals are abandoned in groups and found dumped in bags, boxes and cages.
The charity warns that in these circumstances, many of those that arrive at the centre are pregnant or with young babies, with the youngest rabbit in its care currently is just five weeks old.
Many of the rabbits at Bristol ARC are too young to leave the centre, but the charity has called for local residents interested in adoption to get in touch. The charity's rabbits that are currently looking for homes can be viewed on its website.
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