Sample Letter to Restaurants Asking them to Stop Serving Rabbit Meat

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you because I had planned to visit your restaurant recently until I found out that you serve rabbit meat on your menu.

I live with [one/two/three] house rabbits as companion animals in my home, and was so saddened to see that you are serving the meat of these loving animals as meals for your customers.

My rabbit is one of the most loving, funny, smart and amazing animals I have ever known. He plays with his toys, watches television on the couch with me, begs for treats in the kitchen, comes when he is called (sometimes!), and loves to be petted behind his ears and down his back. He is a cherished member of my family.

I don’t know if you know this, but my rabbit is the exact species of rabbit as those that you sell in your restaurant. But whereas my rabbit enjoys all of the comforts of a life that most beloved dogs or cats in America enjoy, the rabbits you serve lived a short 8 weeks in a factory farm, until they were shipped to a “processor” where their necks were broken (if they were lucky) and their throats were slit until they were bled out, all while their littermates were watching.  Many of the rabbits died brutally during the trip to slaughter from the stresses of the journey, and many others died while waiting, in their overcrowded cages, while waiting to be slaughtered. You also may not realize that rabbits do not enjoy any protection from the federal government as “livestock,” so that means that there are no requirements for them to be transported safely or slaughtered humanely. Their suffering is immense.

Please reconsider serving rabbits—America’s third most popular furry pet—in your restaurant.

Sincerely,

  • Margo DeMello

    Margo DeMello PhD is an anthrozoologist, animal activist, and writer. She is an Assistant Professor of Anthrozoology at Carroll College. For the past 15 years, she was the Human-Animal Studies Program Director at the Animals & Society Institute. She loves rabbits, chihuahuas, wombats and sloths. She is a knitter, a gardener, and a true crime fanatic.

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