Animal Protection Advocate

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Lucky Bunny Rescue is a 501c3 non profit rabbit rescue servicing Northeast Florida. We are looking for volunteers to attend county commissioner meetings in several FL counties (both remote and in person options available) to help us advocate for rabbit protections in each county while we work on a state level bill to be passed as well.

Some Background
While domestic rabbits are the 3rd most popular pet in the USA, they are almost NO protections for domestic rabbits. They are still sold in pet stores in nearly ALL Florida counties (most pet stores report selling about 50-100 rabbits PER WEEK, PER STORE, and there are about 20+ pet stores per county). These stores rabbits without any education and provide incorrect recommendations on proper feeding and care, which altogether results in aggressive, injured, sick, or dying rabbits. Add to the fact that pet stores only purchase rabbits from horrendous rabbit mills or backyard breeders and are often sold with many known health concerns, way under the legal age (8 weeks), and often misgendered resulting in unwanted litters.

This often leaves new rabbit owners wanting to rid themselves of their new pets. Since humane societies in our area do NOT accept rabbits, nor do any other shelters or locations other than our 2 (small) rescues. We have a max capacity of 10-12 rabbits at a time, and it can take 2-6 months to rehome a rabbit properly. Since we often do not have room to take rabbits in, they end up being "set free" in the wild.

Domestic rabbits are NOT like wild rabbits. They don't have the instincts or abilities to survive in the wild longer than 1-6 months. Those that do survive often procreate (as 95% of domestic rabbits are unfixed due to the prohibitive cost). Rabbits give birth every 30 days, and can get pregnant within an HOUR of giving birth. Each litter can be 4-14 rabbits, again every 30 days.

Rabbits that do make it int he wild long enough to be rescued are often severely injured, extremely sick, pregnant, or a combination of the three. This puts a huge burden on already over burdened rescues to care for these rabbits as bunnies require exotic vets to treat them, and these costs are higher than the average costs. There are NO reductions or discounts for rabbit rescues, the cost to spay / neuter rabbits is minimum $250 and can be upwards of $600-800 per rabbit.

What we want from you
Right now in Duval, St. Johns, and Volusia/Flagler Counties there is a ban on the retail sale of cats and dogs. We are actively attempting to have rabbits added to this ban. This ban would help staunch the flow of rabbits being bred and sold in stores and direct customers to rescues instead.

We would like individuals to attend commissioner meetings in their own and surrounding counties and help ask the commissioner to have rabbits added to the ban until they do it! We will provide you with photos and details of different rabbit situations that have occurred within your county but we need more voices speaking up and supporting this ban!