It is difficult to say whether more rabbits are being dumped now than in previous years, or if more people are paying attention to it and contacting the associations that exist. But right now, the situation is particularly bad, which has prompted the association to sound the alarm on social media.
Therese Bergman believes that it is often ignorance that causes people to release rabbits. Many think that they can survive in nature, but they cannot. The dangers are many and a rabbit that is released is heading for a fairly certain death.
Many probably convince themselves that rabbits manage well. But the answer is just a Google search away. They do not manage and releasing them is not an alternative.
Putting out the cage
Then there are those who simply do not care.
There are those who dump rabbits by putting out the entire cage, or putting the rabbits in a transport cage. Then it is quite obvious that one expects someone else to find them and take care of them. Or they die.
A tame rabbit that has lived its entire life in a cage does not know how to protect itself from predators, emphasizes Therese Bergman. Traffic is another danger. Diseases such as rabbit plague and jaundice are both painful and deadly. If the rabbit injures itself and gets a wound, it will not heal in the summer heat.
Wherever you look and in whichever direction you look, it is a very painful death they are heading for.
Raising status
Long-haired rabbits and lop-eared rabbits fare particularly poorly. The long-haired ones because they can get painful mats when their fur is not combed, and the lop-eared ones because their hanging ears make them both hear worse and have limited vision.
The Swedish Rabbit Welfare Association has existed for ten years and works to raise the status of rabbits. Despite being one of our most common pets, rabbits are far from having the same status as dogs and cats, notes Therese Bergman. This also plays a role in how people treat them when they get tired of them.
There are many who see rabbits as toys for children, or an easy animal that you can have in a cage and take out when you want to socialize with it.
It may sound harsh, but if you can no longer take care of the rabbit, euthanasia is a better alternative than releasing it, she says.
But preferably, you should see that you have a plan for what happens if you no longer want to keep the rabbit - before you get it.
Boel Holm/TT
Facts: If you find an abandoned rabbit
TT
Try to catch it. It's not the easiest to catch a rabbit that doesn't want to - you can contact the Swedish Rabbit Welfare Association for tips.
Is the rabbit marked? There are rabbits that are microchipped or ear-tagged so that you can track down an owner or breeder.
See if someone can take care of the rabbit. There are associations like Smådjurschansen and Cassis relocations that have foster homes and work to find new homes.
Contact the police. If you take care of a stray animal, you are obliged to contact the police. It is always the police who decide if an animal is a found item.
