Tribune

BE VERY VERY Quiet - We're saving rabbits.

Marty Sauerzopf

Tuesday April 18, 2000 --

[Caption under large picture:

Pet pals: Erika Smith, founder of Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue, cuddles with Mamaa, who was found in a trash bin along with her babies. Top, Toughy is a three-legged rabbit. The people who adopted him had a cart made that enables him to get around.]

Bunny activists relate horror stories of abandoned 'presents'

Scotty was set on fire. One of his long, soft ears had to be amputated.

Napoleon was kicked so many times, one of his legs was shattered. He tries to hop around now on three.

Madison was neglected in his outside cage for so long, he started to self-mutilate - chewing his feet to the bone.

Mamaa was found in the trash.

All of the 120 rabbits with Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue in Scottsdale have a story behind their wide, trusting eyes - some of which have been poked out.

Many of the stories of injury and death begin, ironically, with the story of rebirth and life.

Easter.

"Mentally, we all have our gear up for what's to come," said Erika Smith, the rabbit rescue group founder.

"We all say our little prayers that it's not going to happen this year. But in the back of our minds, we all know it is."

Transfixed by the cute, soft bunnies sold at pet stores, many parents buy the sweet animals as Easter gifts for their children.

Days or perhaps a few weeks later, they dump them in deserts, golf courses and parks where the innocents who've been fed and cared for all of their lives die torturous deaths from dogs, cats, coyotes, cars, dehydration, starvation and horrible acts of human cruelty.

Some don't make it that long.

"Children ... literally do hug them to death," said Nancy Eilertsen, director of the East Valley Wildlife Rehabilitation League.

The Arizona Humane Society estimates 90 percent of rabbits given to children for Easter meets one of these early ends. About 2,000 bunnies end up at the humane society shelter after Easter each year, said Kim Hicks, society spokeswoman. Many are so injured, they can't be helped and are euthanized.

Toughy was almost one of those bunnies last year. Flipped up in the air by his hind leg like a toy, the fragile rabbit was injured and then discarded.

When he was found helplessly dragging himself along - skin and bones with matted fur - his leg had to be amputated, and he needed round-the-clock care.

David and Hadassah Golsner of Scottsdale were willing to provide it - even to the point of having Toughy fitted for a $237 cart. Before, the rabbit moved by dragging his backside with his front paws.

"He was so thrilled to be able to run around," said Hadassah Golsner, 49. "he actually wore the fur off his little toes."

Smith, Eilertsen and Golsner are just a few lepus lovers who want an end to the Easter rabbit habit.

Rabbits are not low-maintenance pets. They're supposed to live to 10 years or more. They require as much love, care and respect as a dog or cat. They should not be locked up indefinitely in a cage.

"People just don't take the time to realize each of them have a distinct personality," Smith said. "They need things to do. They like to play. They like to be the center of attention. They get into mischief."

It was Toughy's personality that persuaded the Golsners they were doing the right thin in saving his life.

"He was very sick," Hadassah Golsner said. "But yet, you looked at his face, and his bright eyes, and he would just look at us. His little personality just seemed determined to live."

This Easter, he won't be suffering.

"If anybody still suffers, it's me and my husband," Hadassah Golsner said. "Even though Toughy has made the adjustment and he's so content and he's a happy little guy, sometimes when my husband and I look at him and we stop and think about the pain and suffering that poor little animal went through, it's a pretty big tug at my heart strings. sometimes I start crying. I have to tell myself, 'You can't think about that. You have to think about where he's at now.'"

Since the nonprofit, no-kill shelter was founded in 1986, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue has placed about 800 rescued rabbits into loving homes. The group also offers low-cost spay/neuter vouchers for rabbits and teaches rabbit care classes.

For more information about Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue, visit http://www.bhrabbitrescue.org or call its "hop" line at (480) 443-3990.

There is an Easter moratorium right now, meaning no rabbits are being adopted out during this holiday. If you're thinking of placing a rabbit with them, there's quite a waiting list. The next adoption day is April 29.

[Caption under photo on page D2:

Lending a hand: David Golsner places a harness on Toughy, a three-legged rabbit that Golsner and his wife, Hadassah, adopted. They had a cart made to enable Toughy to get around. He was found last year around Easter with a severely damaged leg that had to be amputated.]