A pet centre has urged other retailers to follow its lead in banning the sale of rabbits in a bid to cut the number of animals ending up in rescue centres.
Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre in Taunton, Somerset, hopes its stance will help to raise awareness of rabbit welfare.
“As animal lovers and a family run business, we felt we needed to take a stand,” said pet centre supervisor Leah Jones.
“We have decided the responsible thing to do is to stop selling rabbits, full stop. We will continue to provide expert advice, high quality foods and foraging treats which we are well known for, but we do not wish to contribute to this rising issue.
“We pride ourselves in finding the perfect homes and always putting the animals first. It is not about the sales for us. We are continuously educating ourselves on the latest up-to-date care especially when it comes to rabbits.”
And in a message to fellow pet shops, Leah added: “We believe that if you truly care about animals, it is your responsibility to at least educate properly, or even better, you will do the same and join us in taking a stand.”
The covid-19 pandemic has seen an increase in pet ownership in the UK with rabbits being popular choices because they are inexpensive to buy. But, according to Leah, many new owners are unaware of the welfare needs of rabbits.
“Rescue centres across the UK have seen a massive spike in animals being neglected or re-homed,” she said. “The RSPCA is concerned that the increase of people purchasing ‘starter pets’ like rabbits has become a severe problem.
“Cases of abandoned rabbits are on the rise. There were 107 cases in the UK in 2019 and this figure rose to 248 last year – a 69.9% increase.
“Also, rabbits need a lot of space, yet we still insist on putting them in hutches that are too small.
“We believe in putting the welfare of rabbits first. Those are not just marketing words – we really mean it. The pet team are genuine animal lovers with expert knowledge and to them the most important factor with people keeping pets is the welfare of those animals.”
