Bunnies 

How Rescuing 144 Rabbits Changed My Life

The spring of 2016 I was happily planting beetroot seeds, thinning my lettuces and preparing beds for tomatoes. A fellow gardener at the community garden insisted I go and look at the rabbits kept in a mobile shed that the new farmer at the community farm had brought with him. I told her it wasn’t any of my business and got back to playing in the dirt. A few weeks later, distressed, she insisted I go look. That’s all I was planning to do – take a look and then tell her, well, that’s what farmers do. But, when I pulled back the tarp on the outside of the shed, I was completely horrified and disgusted by the conditions these rabbits were living in. Weeding my lettuces suddenly had no urgency and all I could think about were the suffering rabbits. 

Long story short (a story to share another time) I ended up purchasing the farmer’s meat rabbit business and rescued 144 bunnies. I called it The Great Rabbit Liberation of 2016. I dedicated the saving of their lives to the long life of the Dalai Lama. I couldn’t have pulled it off without the support of my husband, several close friends and the House Rabbit Network, a dedicated rabbit shelter in the Boston area. 

I knew nothing about bunnies. I quickly learned about the “house rabbit” point of view. Bunnies, who are not wildlife, are domesticated animals like cats and dogs. They are social and want to be part of your family. A bun can be litterbox trained. Keeping a bunny full-time in a hutch outside is cruel.  

I had intended to send all the bunnies off to shelters and pick up on my previous plans that had been interrupted. 

Instead these precious, utterly magical, sensitive, intelligent, darling beings became my “dharma,” a calling from the universe. I now devote many hours a week to rabbit rescue, education, and advocacy. I have nine permanent house rabbits, six are from The Great Rabbit Liberation rescue. I foster bunnies for the shelter and assist with adoptions. I have become a bunny whisperer, a bunny nurse, and a bunny lover.

Bunnies are healing catalysts. I have seen this several of times. I have organized several “Bunny Yoga” events. They were an opportunity for a gentle yoga practice but mostly to hang out with bunnies, to create an environment of safety and trust where the bunnies felt free to roam the room. These classes raised much needed funds for the shelter. The feedback I got from attendees included: “This was the best day of my life,” and, “I have been anxious for many months and after bunny yoga all my anxiety disappeared. They really changed me; it was amazing.”

I have also taken bunnies to visit women in a transitional facility who are serving out the final months of their jail sentences. The joy, gentleness, laughter, lightness, hope, and courage the bunnies brought to the women and staff was very real, needed, and powerful. 

My permanent bunnies and other bunnies from the Great Rabbit Liberation who I continue to help, receive top quality veterinarian care and, at a rough estimate, I have spent over $20,000 in vet bills in the past five years, plus the day to day expenses. If you would like to contribute to their care it would be hugely appreciated. 

I have an Amazon Wish List and sponsorship is gratefully received. 

Facebook page for the Great Rabbit Liberation of 2016. Read more about the rescue.

House Rabbit Network is a shelter dedicated to rabbit rescue, education and adoption.

Tricycle: The Buddhist Review article about The Great Rabbit Liberation of 2016.

Boston Globe article and video about The Great Rabbit Liberation of 2016