What's New? at House Rabbit Society ~ May 2004


** Rabbits Are Not Easter Presents ~ Media Coverage

Nationwide, in magazines, newspapers, radio spots, letters
to editors and on local evening news, the message was
broadcast, "They're not just Easter bunnies, they're year-
round bunnies." Stories appeared as early as three weeks
prior to Easter. Following is a sampling of the coverage,
listed in order by date.

Print:
Long Island: http://tinyurl.com/29b5a
Oakland: http://tinyurl.com/2an9p
San Diego: http://tinyurl.com/ywp74
Seattle: http://tinyurl.com/2e6xf
San Diego: http://tinyurl.com/2cbrh
Warwick RI: http://tinyurl.com/ytsay
(Sign-up required to view next three articles.)
Kansas City: http://tinyurl.com/2syx6
Minnesota: http://tinyurl.com/24alw
Philadelphia: http://tinyurl.com/yq6v5

Video:
CBS The Early Show: http://tinyurl.com/237ur
Rhode Island Sweet Binks video: http://tinyurl.com/28nfl

Kudos to everyone who helped spread the word.


** PETA's "Get That Bunny Off Your Back!"

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has
added a new element to their well established "Fur Is Dead"
campaign, focusing solely on the rabbit fur industry. As
reported here in March, the rabbit fur industry is rapidly
expanding to meet this hugely popular fashion demand.
House Rabbit Society applauds and supports PETA's
efforts to combat the rabbit fur industry.
http://www.furisdead.com/feat/bunny/index.html

~ What You Can Do: http://tinyurl.com/29oao
~ Free "Fur Is Dead" Stickers: http://tinyurl.com/2rw44


** Plant City Florida High School Teacher Update

Last month, What's New? informed you of a Florida High
School agriculture teacher killing sick baby rabbits in front
of her students. PETA had issued an action alert calling for
the revocation of her teaching credentials. Please send a
message to the Florida State Board of Education in
support of this effort. http://tinyurl.com/ystbx


** Summer Vacation Planning for Your Rabbits

Are you thinking about taking your rabbits with you on
vacation? Should you board them or would it be better to
have in-home care? Carolyn Mixon's article, "Will Your
Rabbit Travel or Stay Home?", offers pros and cons of
each of these options, helping you make the best decision
for your rabbit's holiday. http://tinyurl.com/2tk2g


** Trouble Trimming Nails?

Here is a great tip from San Diego HRS to help keep
your rabbit's nails trimmed: http://tinyurl.com/3h98w


** HRS Chapter Item of the Month

Kansas City Missouri House Rabbit Society has two
brand new tee shirt designs, just in time for the hot
summer months. The shirts feature charming cartoonish
rabbits, with an emphasis on their houses. The silly happy
shirts are available in Sea Foam Green or Steel Blue. To
view and order the shirts, please go to:
http://tinyurl.com/28abm. (If you scroll to the bottom of
the page, you'll find the ever popular "Bunny Hugger"
shirt!)

The Kansas City Missouri Chapter was founded in 1987
and has saved over 1,500 rabbits. Currently, this chapter
is providing lifetime sanctuary for 40 rabbits, rabbits such
as the adorable Snowpea (http://tinyurl.com/2jxu2).
Snowpea developed head tilt just 3 days after entering
the Kansas City foster program. Snowpea's foster mom,
Jennifer Habernal writes, "She is my special girl and lives
in our living room and when it's playtime, she is all over
the room. She has developed quite a case of "ham-i-ness"
lately. If anyone comes over, she comes running so that
everyone can tell her how beautiful she is. Amazing how
they completely consume one's life, isn't it?"

When you purchase one of these shirts, you help the
Kansas City Chapter continue their valuable and effective
work. When you purchase one of these shirts, you help
Snowpea, and all of the other Kansas City bunnies just
like her.


** House Rabbit Society Chapter Updates

* New York City
On April 17, New York City Chapter of House Rabbit
Society (http://www.rabbitcare.org) began working with
the NYC shelter system, doing Saturday adoptions
directly out of the Manhattan shelter. NYC HRS is
currently working on plans to expand the program to
Brooklyn shelters.


* Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula Chapter (http://tinyurl.com/2fwkx)
recently had a very busy day at the 47th annual Good Old
Days festival in Pacific Grove, educating all who visited
their booth about house rabbits and their care. Disturbed
that the Festival once again had rabbits in their petting zoo,
Monterey Peninsula chapter has teamed up with Animal
Friends, a local dog & cat rescue group. Together, they
will approach the City to convince them to cancel the
petting zoo indefinitely.


* Columbus Ohio
HRS Columbus Chapter (http://www.columbusrabbit.org)
had an Easter segment on a local news station featuring
Harper, a chapter foster bunny. The venue was a perfect
opportunity to promote the Make Mine Chocolate!
campaign. On April 17th, Columbus HRS participated
in the Pet Fest America tour, sponsored by HSUS and
featured IAMS Super Dogs.


* Wisconsin
Wisconsin HRS (http://www.wisconsinhrs.org) is enjoying
their strongest year ever. Their website, recently
redesigned by Karla Ortman, is generating a record number
of inquiries and HRS rabbits are finding "forever homes"
almost weekly. Wisconsin now has 4 foster homes, taking
in shelter rabbits all across southern Wisconsin. On April
3rd, they sponsored their first fund-raiser, a Spring Fling at
the Humane Association of Waukesha Society. Forty-five
attendees learned about rabbit care and nutrition from
guest speakers including Dr. John Wirtz, DVM. It was a
great opportunity to give their shelter rabbits more
publicity.


* Solano/Sonoma
The Solano/Sonoma Chapter kept very busy hosting Meet
the Bunnies!! events at all 3 shelters for the 3 Saturdays
prior to Easter. That's a grand total of 12 events in one
month. Whew! They happily welcome five new Shelter
Team members to assist in their ambitious efforts.


* Southern Yosemite
People don't litter much in national parks, but even so,
Southern Yosemite HRS is vigilant in keeping the chapter's
stretch of highway clean. Chapter manager Jan & husband
Don, donned their rabbit ears and did their bi-monthly
clean-up on Easter Day, cheered on by many friendly honks
and waves of support. Vandals recently knocked down all
signs on a 10-mile stretch of the highway, except one, the
House Rabbit Society sign just outside Yosemite's
Southern Gate (http://tinyurl.com/2zmj8). Southern Yosemite
HRS has been invited to host Rabbit Education Day in
Yosemite Village. Shelter rabbits will participate in teaching
the residents about the wonders of Bunnydom and Jan will
lead discussions on issues concerning rabbits.


* San Francisco Peninsula Chapter
In March, the San Francisco Peninsula Chapter
(http://tinyurl.com/2sugp) hosted a Rabbit, Chinchilla and
Guinea Pig Day at Peninsula Humane Society. There were
educational presentations about all of these animals and a
few shelter bunnies were adopted. A highlight of this event
was the visits from rabbits who had been adopted from
the shelter, making for wonderful reunions.

Then, in April, the San Francisco Peninsula Chapter
participated in the Peninsula Humane Society's Spring
Camp 101. The camp is a week-long educational event to
teach local children about all of the animals at the shelter.
Chapter Manager Donna Jensen, her Shih Tzu Teddy, and
Sawyer (one of the chapter's education rabbits) teach the
children about rabbits and their care. Admirably, Donna
discusses the issue of rabbit overpopulation and the fate of
far too many shelter rabbits, leaving a marked impression
on the children.


* Alabama EARS
Prior to Easter, Alabama EARS (http://tinyurl.com/2r3ar)
had four television appearances airing in Birmingham,
Greensboro, NC and Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa
appearance was a 15-minute segment on a local television
program, "Great Day Tuscaloosa". Also in Tuscaloosa,
EARS participated in PetPawloosa - an all day pet
education event. But their proudest accomplishment for the
month of April was permanently stopping Helena
Elementary School from giving rabbits away as carnival
prizes, something the school had been doing for many
years.

EARS Corresponding Secretary, Paris Grey writes:
"EARS started its campaign to stop rabbits as carnival
prizes about 1 ¦ years ago when a daughter of one of our
members won a 3-week old bun at a carnival. Her bunny,
Baby, was lucky because an EARS family won him. Until
now, we had little luck stopping the practice."

This year, EARS got tough. They found an Alabama state
law that prohibits giving animals as prizes. EARS member
Ruth Feldersmaus-Stallsmith, along with the EARS Board,
wrote a letter explaining the law and FAXED it to the
County Superintendent, the Helena Principal, the School
Board, Animal Control and, the Police Department. All
parties were listed on the letter so everyone knew who
else had received it. Paris happily states," The Helena
Elementary School contacted us immediately (they found
Co-Chapter Manager Linda Howard's home number
which wasn't even listed on the letterhead!) and left a
short but worried message on our Hopline."

Helena Elementary agreed to stop giving rabbits away as
carnival prizes!

The media got wind of the story and Birmingham's
WTTO 21 interviewed EARS Co-Chapter Manager,
Treasurer and Fostering Director, Linda Howard on April
18th. The reporter described the all-too-common fate of
"Carnival Prize" rabbits, stating that the rabbits are usually
discarded at shelters or let go in wooded areas. He cited
the state law the school district was violating and asked
Linda for a statement: "EARS will work towards having
this practice eliminated in all Alabama city and county
schools and communities." The news segment ended with
footage of several EARS foster bunnies happily eating,
grooming and playing where they should be, in a house.

Paris writes, " We are so encouraged--we look at the
Helena School system victory as the first of many
dominoes that will fall. We have a lot of carnival fairs to
go after this summer. This victory is for the bunnies!"


** House Rabbit Society Photo Randomizer

Big thanks to all of you who sent photos for the HRS web
site. Several dozen adorable new photos can be seen at the
Net Bunny Gallery: http://tinyurl.com/2csp2. You can
submit your rabbit's "Kodak Moment" by emailing it in
.jpeg format to: photos@....


** Join House Rabbit Society Today!

If you are not a member of House Rabbit Society, please
take this opportunity to join us. A yearly tax-deductible
membership costs only $18, or $25 for international
memberships. All members receive the Society's
newsletter, The House Rabbit Journal. Please go to:
http://www.rabbit.org/hrs-info/joining.html


~ On behalf of the rabbits, thank you. ~