I have mixed feelings about keeping those dear disabled rabbits alive when so many healthy ones are being euthanized in shelters because there is no one to adopt them. But loving our precious “Twitches” as we do, I’m sure I’d do the same.
Dina Takouris
Camarillo, California
You would also have moral reasons for doing the same. This is a position we often have to defend. First we think of loyalty to family members. You wouldn’t dispose of a disabled animal who is living with you just because younger or healthier rabbits could take his place. A well-adjusted disabled or elderly rabbit is not the same thing as a suffering animal who has no hope of recovery.
Yes, we are certainly concerned about the rabbits in shelters. HRS was founded to rescue as many as possible. Any animal who has been abandoned is unfortunate. An abandoned rabbit who is injured or is not blessed with good health is doubly unfortunate. The degree of misfortune does not make an animal less worthy of life.
We would not deny care to people in nursing homes and convalescent hospitals, simply because there are many homeless people on the streets, who are younger or healthier. Supporting one kind of human or animal does not have to mean neglecting the other. When our fosterers publicize a rabbit who needs special veterinary care, the funds raised are from people who particularly want to support these animals, and it’s taking nothing from the others.
House Rabbit Journal Volume III, Number 3, Summer/Fall 1994