Almost 100 rabbits are now in the care of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington after they were rescued from a home in Vancouver.
The animals, which were overall in good health, were surrendered by their owner to Clark County Animal Control, who worked with the humane society to set them up for adoption.
A news release said a few of the 94 rabbits had minor injuries and several were diagnosed with upper respiratory infections, but they were overall in good health.
The ages of the animals ranged from babies to adults. The seized rabbits included nursing litters of rabbit kits that were only a few days old.
“On a typical day, we can comfortably house 10 to 12 rabbits,” stated Andrea Bruno, the president of the humane society, in the release. “Rescues of this scale are uncommon in our community, and always place a strain on resources and space. But we are committed to being here for the animals 365 days a year and this case has pushed us to find some new solutions.”
The team at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington began to prepare for the arrival of the rabbits immediately once they received word about the rescue. They ordered additional supplies, mobilized volunteer foster families, and rented a climate-controlled trailer to house the rabbits at the humane society until permanent homes can be found.
Of the 94 rabbits, 34 were placed with foster volunteers as of Oct. 3. An additional 60 were housed at the shelter at that time.
The humane society plans to spay and neuter as many as 15 rabbits a week, who will then be put up for adoption.
“Ordering supplies and finding space was only the beginning,” Bruno stated in the release. “The next steps in this process will take many weeks if not months. We’re fortunate to have amazing foster volunteers and skilled medical and animal care teams to care for the rabbits, and we’ll need the help of our community to find them new homes.”
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington plans to offer reduced-fee and fee-waived adoption promotions to help find the rabbits new homes.
