Thorold resident Lyla Frick founded Pumpkin Acres Rabbit Rescue three years ago, in an effort to rescue as many abandoned pet rabbits as possible.
Now, Frick is ringing the alarm bell because the organization can’t keep up with demand.
“People were getting a lot of pets during the pandemic and that resulted in more abandoned pets when things started getting back to normal,” says Frick, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “We have to say no to so many of them because we just don’t have anywhere to put them.”
Pumpkin Acres Rabbit Rescue currently has more than 45 rabbits in its care. Because the rescue doesn’t have a physical location, the organization relies on foster homes to house the rabbits.
Taking financial care of a large group of rabbits is a costly operation. The organization relies on charitable donations to rescue as many rabbits as possible.
“A lot of the rabbits have health issues so we’ve had to take them to the vet multiple times,” Frick says. “Even spaying and neutering a rabbit is not cheap and we completely rely on donations to cover all of our vet bills. Some bunnies will get adopted really quickly and others it can take up to a year.”
Frick says that rabbits are really misunderstood creatures.
“People don’t really understand what kind of personalities they have until they get to know them,” she says. “They’re not the same as a cat and a dog but they’re affectionate. They love being petted, they’re smart animals and they play. A lot of people think that they can be kept in cages outside with no interaction but that just leaves them to live a very lonely and boring life.”
There’s a lot of misinformation about the care of pet rabbits.
“A lot of things we learned growing up about their care isn’t necessarily correct, like keeping them in cages is not something you should do,” Frick says. “We provide an exercise pen and then the rabbits can have exercise time during the day when they can be let out. They’re not meant to be kept outdoors, these domestic rabbits. ”
When someone decides to foster, Pumpkin Acres Rabbit Rescue offers all the necessary supplies and pays all of the veterinary bills.
Frick says that there’s a real need in the region for a place like Pumpkin Acres Rabbit Rescue.
“I started the rescue because we didn’t have a rabbit rescue in Niagara,” she says. “I didn’t realize how many rabbits there were that needed help and how we didn’t really have any laws to protect them. When I started the rescue I was like: ‘Oh, I just want to be a small rescue, we’ll take in a few bunnies,’ and that just went out of the window in the first year.”
Even though it can be difficult at times to carry the responsibility for so many pet rabbits, Frick wants to keep rescuing the fuzzy creatures for as long as she can.
“Some days are really hard,” Frick says. “Then I think of some of the rabbits that we have saved that came from really horrible situations and I see the transformation that they’ve had. It’s those rabbits that keep me going. As long as there are rabbits in need I don’t think that we can stop, just because I can see the change that we can make.”
If you’re interested in fostering a rabbit you can fill out an application or reach out to Pumpkin Acres Rabbit Rescue.
