Cage-free environments for our rabbits, publicity for the Rescue!

One of the nice things about having a university right down the street from your Rescue is that every now and then the newspaper staff ask to do a story on us!  NT Daily TV Reporter Nadia Galindo stopped by and filmed the Rescue for a webcast (link coming soon).  She also wrote a great article about our Rescue that was published today in the NT Daily newspaper.

This summer we went from having cages upon cages full of rabbits waiting for adoptive homes, keeping them all separated and keeping our volunteers VERY busy.  With the heat of this past summer we could no longer operate that way and keep the rabbits safe and cool, so we transformed our “boys’ yard,” formerly full of caging, into a second open-air, free-roaming pen for the rabbits.  We had to keep the balance of rabbits in there just right and still keep our unneutered males safely caged and away from the unspayed females, but with the help of grants from the Petco Foundation and from Petsmart Charities, we were able to get over 100 many rabbits neutered and spayed so we could get them out of cages as quickly as possible!  With the help of a donation of a huge mister system from Orbit Misters we were able to help the rabbits stay cool in the misty shade.  With all of these efforts and donations our adoption rate went up, the huge amount of effort on our volunteers’ part went down, and most importantly the rabbits were much happier and healthier.

We are going to maintain this cage-free lifestyle for our rabbits and improve it by erecting carport-style shelters over half of each of our two yards to provide shade from the sun and shelter from the rain and snow.  In times of inclement weather we will be able to roll down vinyl blinds on the exposed side of the shelter to provide an extra bit of shelter while still allowing for air flow.  The bunnies — ok, and we ourselves — can’t wait to see these shelters erected and good to go for the coming winter months!

Although we have applied for grant funding to help with the construction of these shelters, we will need to construct them within the next couple weeks to keep our rabbits safe and happy before that grant funding comes in.  If you would like to help us get these up even sooner, you are welcome to donate to their construction!  There is a button, top right of this website, where you can donate via PayPal.  You do not need to have a PayPal account to donate, it works off any credit or debit card as well.  Please pass on the word to friends, family and coworkers.  Let’s get these built now!

A copy of the article published in today’s NT Daily by Nadia Galindo is below for you to read.  Thank you all for your interest in our organization, love for the animals, and willingness to help your local nonprofit animal rescue organizations.

Rabbit rescue works to raise money for updated shelter

Nadia Galindo / NT Daily TV Reporter

In preparation for the coming winter months and holiday season, Denton’s WildRescue, Inc./Rabbit Rescue is raising money to add on to its shelter.

The rescue has taken in about 150 domestic rabbits this year. Many of those rabbits came in after the holidays because many rabbits are given as gifts but then given up or dumped, said Diana Leggett, president of the rescue.

“January alone, we took in 47 domestic rabbits from the area shelters and then it’s just snowballed,” Leggett said.

This is one of the reasons the Denton-based nonprofit organization has added an additional outside pen this summer.

“We never have to say no, or worse, euthanize because of a lack of space,” said Lindsay Hooker, a UNT alumna and volunteer at the organization. “We always make it work.”

The rescue is trying to raise money to build a carport-style shelter to cover half of the two bunny pens.

“We want them to have a quality of life until we can find them their forever home,” Leggett said. “The best way to do that is by giving them their freedom and their space.”

Leggett said the shelters will cost a minimum of $1,200. In addition to building shelters, the organization hopes to raise $10,000 to convert a garage into a hospital room and a shed into a resting room.

Leggett said the shelters are the top priority because they are needed before winter to keep the bunnies in an appropriate environment.

“We want to at least get the shelters up before the onset of winter; we just need to generate funds and, no pun intended, hop to it,” Hooker said.

WildRescue, Inc./Rabbit Rescue takes in about 1,000 cottontail rabbits a year. The organization also takes in squirrels, ducks and other wildlife. Animals are cared for and rehabilitated, then released back into the wild. Domestic rabbits are spayed and neutered; however, some are in bad shape and need medical care, which can be expensive.

“We watch rabbits come from hoarder situations, a 1-square-foot mouse cage, a hutch where dogs nipped at it through the wire, all kinds of neglectful and abusive situations,” Hooker said. “It is a miraculous thing to see these rabbits turn into beautiful, sociable creatures with huge personalities.”

Leggett said she had a bunny as a little girl and transferred her love for the animal to her children. She has been rescuing rabbits and wildlife for more than 25 years.

“I am one of the biggest advocates for these kids,” Leggett said. “I can’t imagine stopping that now.”