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The •
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Rabbits: Their part in my downfall – Pt 14
Restaurants & rabbits
RSPCA rabbit rescue update
Bunologist •
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The importance of a positive meeting
Vision & your bunny
Unusual buddies
Dear Diary
• Clarence the SUPER Spy & the Unknown Enemy
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Wild Rabbits at Risk
What’s News? 10 April 2009 – Scientific American (US)
The Age’s Melbourne Magazine has been a frequent rabbit The story was horrendous enough but the follow up of the
abuser when it comes to recipes & promotion. Yet again, story (from an anonymous source) confirmed that all but
the April issue of the magazine printed another recipe from two baby bunnies were euthanased when taken to the
a second offender – The Melbourne Wine Room. RSPCA shelter. The two baby bunnies that were saved
were kept for television purposes so that viewers would
I had sent a letter when the last recipe was published. I assume that most would have been put up for adoption.
tried to be nice. I tried to be educational. They obviously
don’t pay attention or change their ways! This time I have Sadly, too many
changed my tune to outright annoyed. rabbits face
euthanasia at
shelters for no other
reason than there
Nicky Riemer are too many to
Melbourne Wine Room rehome. We know
The George Hotel how difficult it can
125 Fitzroy Street be to find homes for
ST KILDA VIC 3182 unwanted rabbits,
however it is still a
RE: MELBOURNE MAGAZINE RECIPE PAGES very disappointing
outcome for so many bunnies that never had a second
Dear Nicky chance to feel love & affection at any time in their lives.
I’m not sure why chefs continue to think that rabbit is some
sort of “gourmet” food they continually trudge out to their
dimwitted patrons. RSPCA Rehoming
The whole rabbit issue is a sensitive area when it comes to
This month the RSPCA contacted me asking about how
the community. Wild rabbits are introduced, yet domestic
BOING assesses the personalities of rabbits that come to
rabbits are loving & affectionate family pets.
us.
As wild rabbits are considered an introduced pest, the vast
Possibly the TV show & a few recent negative truths about
majority of ill-informed patrons assume it’s okay to eat
rabbit rehoming at the RSPCA have now encouraged the
rabbit. Stupidly, restaurant patrons & chefs pay no
organisation to take rabbits seriously.
attention to the fact that wild rabbit is rarely served as food
in restaurants. However, domestic pet rabbits are the ones
The enquiry was directed towards establishing how the
that are treated inhumanely in factory farms & slaughtered
RSPCA can assess the personality & character of rabbits
for the table.
that come into the shelter. Unfortunately, any bunnies that
come into a shelter will be frightened, anxious & stressed
As a pet rabbit owner, I am horrified to see my pets
and you cannot assess the personality of a rabbit under
continually served up on a menu & refuse to accept
these circumstances.
slaughter of any pets as a food source.
I mentioned to the staff member that I would never assess
Of course I will not be patronising your restaurant, as I do
a rabbit’s personality until they had been desexed.
not visit any establishment that serves my pets as food. I
Desexing calms rabbits and ensures they will not be fired
also return the enclosed pages from the Melbourne
up with hormones.
magazine as I do not want them anywhere near my home.
I mentioned that rabbits need time to adjust to their
Once you start serving up cats & dogs on your menu, I
environment. A rabbit’s real personality will not emerge
shall acknowledge the community’s need to eat common
until they feel safe & secure, so you cannot judge a rabbit’s
pets. “Ooh yes….. I’ll have the cat-cciatore please. Oh, no
behaviour from the moment they arrive.
wait…. I’ll have the roast Labrador instead. However, the
braised budgie does sound delicious!” Mmmmm
I also mentioned that the RSPCA should think about aiming
rabbit adoptions to more mature clients in order to break
Yours sincerely
the stereotype that rabbits are pets only for children.
I found these articles on the rabbit advocate web blog. For
anyone interested in bunny care, there are some great
articles to read here -
Vision & your bunny
How you approach a rabbit is more important than you
http://therabbitadvocate.blogspot.com/ might think. As we all know, rabbits are prey animals and
this fact should guide you as you interact with your bunny.
Accordingly, if your rabbit is relatively skittish, don't walk
up to her too quickly. A big, dark object quickly coming at a
bunny can be quite scary! Instead sit down on the floor (or
The Importance of a get even smaller and lay down) and your curious rabbit will
approach you. This is a much less threatening way to
Positive Meeting interact with your pet and leads to a stronger, more
trusting bond.
Initial interactions are crucial in establishing a rapport with Another thing to keep in mind is eyesight. Rabbits' eyes
your house rabbit or a bunny you're meeting for the first are located on the side of their heads, (evolutionarily, for a
time. Because many people instinctively approach a rabbit higher range of sight, to escape those predators!) so
as they would a cat or a dog--by placing a hand right in front naturally they cannot see well right in front of them. You
of their noses for them to sniff--they are getting started off may have noticed your bunny tilting her head to the side
on the wrong foot, er, paw. As polite of an animal when trying to see something in front of her; this is to
introduction as this would seem, rabbits are actually compensate this blind spot. It's important to be aware of
offended by this gesture, mostly due to their limited vision in this challenge in visibility, so you don't scare your bunny by
front of their faces. Such offensive gestures often elicit coming at her from the front. Rabbits can even react
fearful or aggressive responses, which leads the human to aggressively if they can't make out exactly what is in front
dismiss the rabbit as unfriendly, jumpy, or a bad pet. of them, so teaching your children about this blind spot can
Instead, try coming down from the top and petting her help avoid an accidental scratch (or bite!).
forehead or scratching behind the ears. Or, you can even
do as the rabbits do, and get down on their level and touch The best advice on approach is to move slowly, make
noses. With only your head in their field of vision, you yourself seem small, and to encourage your rabbit come to
suddenly don't seem so large and intimidating. you instead of the other way around.
Positive interactions can set the tone for how a rabbit views We can supply oaten hay for you at your convenience.
you--whether she learns to trust you or avoid you. Just give us a call (0408 993 480) or email us at
Conversely, it can also affect how a person will view a askboing@bigpond.com & arrange a time to pick it up
rabbit, or even rabbits as a species. A miscommunication (day/night/weekend).
during introductions can lead a human to fear rabbits or
view them as unpredictable or aggressive creatures. And We do the travel & packaging for you! We will only provide
we, as devoted rabbit owners, know just how inaccurate this excellent quality at all times (if we won’t use it, neither
assessment can be, as long as we learn to communicate should you!).
with them on their own terms and in their own language.
We are located in Mount Waverley, Melbourne.
Jasmine the surrogate mum
Unusual buddies http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1103645/Meet-Jasmine-rescue-
dog-surrogate-mother-50th-time.html
Seven-year-old Jasmine is
currently caring for tiny Bramble,
an 11-week-old roe deer fawn
found semi-conscious in a nearby
field.
Worse still, we were just getting over the sudden loss of our
Sarah bunny when one of our boarder buns became very
ill. She wasn’t eating & looked uncomfortable. I cared for
her as best I could – syringe feeding her every two hours
overnight with critical care & water. I had felt unusual
swollen lumps near her ribs but was hoping they were not
serious. Unfortunately, I had a suspicion that all was not
well. She was rushed to the emergency vet the next
morning for treatment. X-rays revealed she had uterine
cancer & it had spread. We were devastated & her human
friend (who was still away on a trip overseas) was heart
broken. Sadly, Michelle had to make the decision to let
Bobbi the bunny go peacefully. Bobbi was only four years
old. I know many people swear by papaya tablets but I didn’t
see any improvement. I did, however, see an improvement
So, life at The Do Hop Inn has been very emotional this in her poo production when I started serving Princess a
month.
soupy bowl of Oxbow critical care each evening before she
went to bed. This seems to have made a big difference in
Peanut was devastated losing his true love Sarah. We her rehydration & production of bigger single poos again.
moved him back next to his old friend Stuart so he would
have someone familiar nearby. Over the next few weeks
we reintroduced the boys in the lounge room to see if they
remembered each other. Stuart (who has never been
interested in any other bunny we’ve introduced him to since
Peanut) remembered his old chum straight away. I shed a
little tear watching the two buns reunite and snuggle. It
was really lovely (apart from both boys spraying each other
in the face a couple of times – hey, shows they like each
other!). They’re both back together in the kitchen and we
hope that they stay happy together for a long, long time.
!!! SHOP !!!
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He had another idea for the machine and he had to do it before They came to a huge brick wall on the side of the canyon. Many
the Big Speech. cryptic signs were put up, they said things like: KEEP OUT! GO
AWAY!
They’d used the orange life boat (that had saved their lives) for
the plan. Bunneary, James and Kitty helped Clarence take apart They all aimed their weapons at the wall and blasted it to pieces,
the Sky Skier. Ally, Pancake and Chief Guinea pig were shoving just like Mr. Beaver’s bounty hunters had done to their ship. They
all the salvaged equipment, food and clothing into the life boat. ran through the wide hole and down a pipe lined tunnel. To
But Queen Sunshine just sat back and watched lazily. Pancake it smelt like rotten bunny mix, engine fuel and dinosaur
droppings. But to Bunneary it smelt of roses, salt licks and daisy
After what seemed like an hour the life boat was loaded up and juice.
they were all ready. Every piece of salvaged item was loaded in
the small inflatable boat, with the miniature engine attached to the They came into a large, painted room with many controls and
back (from the Sky Skier). buttons, piles of chocolate wrappers and one huge TV screen.
The one and only Mr. Beaver was sitting in the middle of the
The six super spies and the queen squished into the cramped room, his eyes glued to the TV and munching on the chocolate
boat. James pushed the heavy boat into the shallow water. He bars. He was watching the big speech on the TV, getting close to
jumped in before it was too late. the part when Queen Sunshine III comes on stage.
Clarence pulled at the engine’s long lever. It started chugging off. ‘Ok guys, we have to get his attention, without making him
VRRROOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!! cranky,’ whispered Clarence.
The boat zoomed off into the open water. Their dark surroundings But Pancake, Kitty and Bunneary were already off. Tip toeing
were a blur to them. toward Mr. Beaver. Actually they were going to the desk top
behind him. Bunneary grabbed the TV remote and pressed the
OFF button.
The angry face of Mr. Beaver turned ‘Don’t take another step forward,’ Pancake pulled out a yellow
around and glared at them. He rose coloured weapon. ‘Because I have a banana!’ She held out the
up from the huge pile of empty banana threateningly at the bounty hunters. They cackled with
chocolate wrappers. He looked much laughter. They thought it was a joke. So did I.
bigger than they’d imagined, with his ‘Yeah, but this is a weapon.’ She squeezed the banana and it shot
eyes blood shot under the black out a yellow laser blast that bounced back the bounty hunters.
glasses and his large teeth chocolate
stained. ‘Sweet’.
‘What in the name of Mr. Beaver Industries are you doing here, Clarence was alert! But not alert enough. The shampoo squeezer
Clarence!’ he blustered. ‘No one and I mean no one; especially (the machine that puts all the shampoo into the containers) hit
you are not s’pose to come to my base.’ Clarence with a gush of shampoo that sent him into the arms of
James. Oh no, Clarence was squeaky clear! So clean that he
Pancake, Chief Guinea pig, Bunneary, Kitty and Ally hid behind slipped out onto the floor and bounced, smashed into the
James and Clarence’s legs. ‘We meet again Mr. Beaver,’ said shampoo deposit, thus clogging it up.
Clarence. ‘We have all come here to give you a piece of our
minds.’ Sparks were flying in the air, smoke buffing out of the machine.
BOOOOM!!!!
Mr. Beaver gave a sly grin. ‘I can still remember when you left me
stranded in the Atlantic Ocean,’ he muttered. ‘I’m still plotting The whole factory area of Mr. Beaver’s base was blown up sky
revenge on you.’ high, sending sand into the air. And the bounty hunters were still
coming to capture them. Fast! But, Ally wouldn’t allow that. Nearly
*Spy-Notes: Clarence has met Mr. Beaver in person two times blinded by the flying sand he pulled out a bottle of glue and
before. The first time he tried to steal Clarence’s brain. The other poured it into the shampoo squeezer, aimed it at the evil hunters
time was when he blew up Mr. Beaver’s great experiment, which and shot a whole gloop of sticky shampoo at them, which stopped
would change the world in a bad way. the hunters dead in their tracks.
*
Clarence scratched his ear. ‘Yeah, but as I was saying we came Peace at last. After Clarence had rounded the bounty hunters up
to ask you why you sent some of your bounty hunters to ruin our to jail, he and the rest of the team flew back to Beijing to celebrate
escort?’ he said. ‘I mean why would you want the Big Speech to Easter and a good mission clear. Mr. Beaver was invited - it
be delayed, your Mr. Beaver Industries would get some money looked like there was an alliance between Clarence and Mr.
from it?’ Beaver. Only for the day.
Mr. Beaver stared at them blankly. ‘I never sent any of my bounty They’d had an Easter party with A LOT of chocolate eggs at the
hunters to ruin your escort,’ he said in a confused tone. ‘You’re VIP room at the crowded Beijing Stadium. Queen Sunshine was
right, why would I stop the Big Speech?’ partying with them. And Peanut and Sarah were there too.
Apparently they were on their fifty eighth honeymoon. Pancake
Clarence looked around his teammates for ideas, but they didn’t had coated her body with maple syrup: Kitty thought it was
need any ideas. The bounty hunters were in the doorway. ‘You needed. Kitty was just brooding around coolly. Bunneary had
got that right, we stopped the escort on our own accord,’ said one gone crazy again, this time from eating too much chocolate.
of the bounty hunters slyly. ‘And now we will destroy you and Peanut followed his example and started going mad too.
these pathetic Super Spies.’
‘Doooooooiiilllllaaaa huggggi
‘Mutiny!’ four snoooow booolll!’
‘Pathetic!?’ ‘Aghh! Get away Bunneary!’
‘Attack!!!!’ (pictured left)
Before any of them could blast the bounty hunters, the ceiling had He charged down the room
magnetised all their weapons and gadgets onto a huge magnetic and gave Chief Guinea pig a
plate. spine-smashing hug of
unfriendly proportions, again.
‘Run!!!!!!!!!!!’
‘Dooooooiiiillllaa huggggggii four sarrrrrrrie!’
They (including Mr. Beaver) ran past the bounty hunters and
through the pipe lined tunnel. The hunters shot Net Blasters at He ran over and hugged the reflection of Sarah until the mirror
them, but James karate chopped them away. broke.
They ran into the huge factory area with the many conveyor belts They partied for some time. And Clarence, James, Kitty, Chief
and levers. They jumped onto the nearest conveyor belt and ran Guinea pig, Bunneary, Ally, Pancake, Peanut, Sarah, the Queen
down to the shampoo deposit, the bounty hunters hot on their and Mr. Beaver had a very happy ending.
heels. The empty shampoo containers came sliding toward them,
they all jumped out of the way of the incoming containers….
except Pancake and James, who’d got tripped over and fell off the The End!
conveyor belt. Two other bounty hunters jumped off on cue,
holding up the Net Blasters threateningly.