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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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Petland rabbit concerns/UBCM resolution Dear Mayor and Councillors; City Officials I am writing with ongoing concerns regarding the sale of baby rabbits being sold at Petland, Suite A – 1097 Nicola Ave. The Rabbit Advocacy Group of BC has been contacted by several individuals who visited the store in the last month and were very troubled by the way the rabbits are being housed and treated by customers, who are allowed to interact with them. I have also written to you on this particular matter and related rabbit welfare and protection issues in the past. Part of an e-mail we received on 13/03/09 stated: The way Petland displays and treats their rabbits is outrageous. Every time my sister is in there, there are little children or adults even picking up the rabbits and she has seen many dropped on the floor. She has complained to the management many times and they always tell her the same thing, that someone should be there supervising (which there never is) and that they'll do something about it (which they never do). She said they have tiny baby bunnies in there right now which are ON SALE for Easter $50 and 20% off! She says they are no bigger than your hand. Another e-mail excerpt dated 13/04/08: I spoke to the manager (Samara McFarlane) and another employee how absolutely horrified I was to witness these 20-25 year olds picking up the rabbits and not knowing how, with staff right there and no one stopping them. One was picked up by the ribs and the other held up side down. They were in an open x-pen on the ground with zero protection or supervision. Not good if they would have struggled and been dropped. They could have been crippled or have died. I also mentioned to the manager about the little girl picking up the baby bunny and no staff supervision. Another person didn’t like dogs being in the store and sniffing around the rabbits. These are all very valid concerns. Little kids climb up on the ledge surrounding the enclosures and reach in grabbing at the small critters. Not only does this stress the tiny animal, it is a safety concern, as the child could easily fall down. It could easily become a liability issue. Additionally, many consumers are unaware that animals can carry harmful bacteria and that children are especially vulnerable to infection. I kindly request that these issues be investigated by the appropriate city department. Profit is the bottom line of the pet business, not animal welfare. We cannot expect corporations to act in a socially responsible and ethical manner by choice. Petland doesn’t seem to care that countless healthy rabbits have been abandoned to the outdoors where they freely multiply or are killed by predators, that rescue groups and pounds are at over-capacity with perfectly adoptable rabbits, that others are put down, and that many more are left to languish in a backyard hutches or a tiny cage. That is why we request that the City of Port Coquitlam follow the lead of other municipalities and prohibit sales of all rabbits or alternatively, unsterilized ones, in pet stores and other public venues. The provincial government also recommends and supports this measure. In November 2011, correspondence from Mayor Moore advised that the Community Safety Committee would be meeting in the upcoming year to discuss amending the Animal Control Bylaw. In September 2012, the UBCM passed a resolution that would see rabbit sales banned in pet stores. Combined strategies such as licensing or regulating breeders, pet identification, spay/neuter programs, and humane education can all help alleviate the problems associated with impulse buys. Animal welfare and advocacy organizations and the public overwhelmingly favour such practical and common sense initiatives. Is Port Coquitlam ready to enact a new and modern bylaw that would prohibit the sales of rabbits? The ethical and financial benefits to the rabbit, to shelters, to the environment, and the community are obvious. Everybody wins. I look forward to a response on the above matters. |