6 days Ago By The Independent
Pets at Home will temporarily halt its rabbit sales over the Easter weekend. While the animal may be synonymous with the season thanks to the Easter Bunny, the popular pet store has put a ban in place to prevent people from buying them impulsively. Their shops remain open.
The ban will last from 18 to 21 April in all 460 of its branches across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the brand said this decision is in line with its commitment to encourage responsible pet ownership. A Pets at Home spokesperson said: “Every year, we make the decision to temporarily halt rabbit sales over the Easter weekend. This is a deliberate action to discourage any impulsive choices about owning a rabbit, given their close association with this time of year.
“Rabbits make wonderful pets, however, they are not the 'easy' pet that they can often be thought of as. Rabbits have complex needs, including specialised dietary requirements and environments, and we always want to educate and encourage careful reflection on how those needs will be met before homing.” Animal rights organisation PETA UK estimates that four out of five rabbits bought around Easter are abandoned or die within a year.
A spokesperson said: “Weeks or sometimes mere days later, they're discarded like unwanted Easter egg packaging – a staggering four out of five rabbits bought around Easter are abandoned or die within a year.” Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK, but according to the Rabbit Welfare Association, Britain is facing its “worst rabbit rescue crisis ever”. Currently, anyone is legally allowed to start breeding and selling rabbits, which the charity has claimed results in “uneducated and inexperienced rabbit owners having multiple litters that they can’t look after or sell on to responsible pet owners”.
They claim a lack of legislation has resulted in rabbit breeders having no licence, inspection or standards, resulting in missexed babies sold without any checks or care information and owners dealing with accidental litters. They have called for a breeding amnesty to put a halt to the de-regulated industry, which has led to many owners dumping their rabbits and rescue centres becoming overrun. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.
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