Woodgreen supports RWAF Rabbit Breeding Amnesty

With record-breaking numbers of rabbits sadly being relinquished to charities like Woodgreen after the pandemic and due to the cost-of-living crisis, an amnesty would help the rescue sector catch up and protect the welfare of the nation’s third most popular pet.

During 2022, 740 rabbits were added to Woodgreen’s waiting list by owners who could no longer care for them, or following accidental litters of baby rabbits. This figure is a staggering increase of more than 250% compared to 2020 (294 rabbits) – with similar numbers expected to continue throughout 2023. At the same time, fewer people have been looking to welcome rabbits in their home, with only 52 rabbits being rehomed by the charity last year. This means that Woodgreen is always at full capacity, and many rabbits remain in their care for long periods of time.

Siblings Red and Fallow arrived at Woodgreen’s Cambridgeshire centre in July 2021, as their owner had more pets in the home than they could cope with. As a Belgian Hare cross breed, Red and Fallow need more space than the average bunnies, and have been waiting around 600 days for a permanent home to call their own. Benny and Jellybean (pictured above) came to the charity separately, and have since found love as a closely bonded pair. Despite their confident and friendly characters, they too have been in Woodgreen’s care for more than a year. Red, Fallow, Benny and Jellybean are among thousands of rabbits who are in rescue centres throughout the UK right now.

Alongside the Breeding Amnesty, the RWAF have also launched a petition to demand a change in legislation that would ensure rabbit breeders require the same licencing as dog and cat breeders. Whilst pet shops require a licence, the private breeding and selling of rabbits is currently unregulated, with no requirement to even correctly identify the sex of the rabbits being sold. As a result, many people end up with un-neutered pairs that can breed and reproduce very quickly, and often from a young age. New legislation would set minimum welfare standards, and help to break the damaging cycle that is causing the current rabbit crisis.

Samantha Ryan, small pet behaviour & training specialist at Woodgreen, said: “We are fully in support of the Rabbit Breeding Amnesty and the associated legislation that will be key in helping to improve rabbit welfare standards. Just like a lot of rescue centres, we have seen relinquishment requests for rabbits rise exponentially, with our on-site accommodation at full capacity and around a nine month wait for rabbits to come into our care.

“On top of this, increasingly more owners are contacting us for support with accidental rabbit litters caused by them purchasing a pair of incorrectly sexed rabbits. And despite all these rabbits in our care looking for new homes, there are fewer people looking to adopt rabbits. This legislation is a vital step in helping to prevent the number of unexpected and unwanted rabbits that are out there, along with improving overall welfare standards.”

See which rabbits are looking for a home from Woodgreen on our rabbit adoption page.