By Staff
Forty-six domestic rabbits saved from the streets of Selkirk are alive and well. Some are already living in their new adoptive homes, and others are in foster care thanks to the hard work and collaboration of many rescue volunteers, citizens, and city staff.
Though the rabbits likely were there for some time before they were discovered, efforts to rescue the domestic bunnies, who were not native wildlife, started in the fall of 2024.
Since the city has not received any further calls regarding the domestic rabbits, this indicates the situation is now likely under control.
Popcorns and Binkies Rescue Haven (P&B Haven) was connected with the City after learning of a large domestic rabbit population in Selkirk. This population was created by an intentional release of domesticated rabbits into the wild.
P&B Haven began trapping them in the fall of 2024 and cared for nearly all of the rabbits caught – 61 in total – in a city-provided facility. Some were cared for in foster homes in Selkirk and Winnipeg.
A spokesperson for P&B says they’ve now moved out of the Selkirk facility and several of the rabbits have been adopted.
“We rescued a total of 61 rabbits, including those born in rescue, and of those, 15 unfortunately passed away, either as babies or young adults,” the spokesperson said.
“All (of the deaths) can be attributed to the poor care and diet they had living on the streets. Of the 46 that survived, 19 of the rabbits have been adopted so far, and the remainder are in foster homes being well cared for and loved.”
Domestic rabbits are dependent on humans and do not have the survival instincts of wild rabbits. They have not evolved for camouflage – often being bright colours that are easily spotted by predators, not as nimble, and prone to health conditions that wild rabbits are not.
The spokesperson said, though the more than yearlong effort has a somewhat happy ending, it’s taken an incredible toll on the registered charity financially, its staff and volunteers emotionally, and of course, on the rabbits who faced numerous health challenges and ultimately death in many cases.
“I think overall the whole year was a success story, despite several heartbreaking losses. While we don’t want to focus on the negative, I think that it would be important to highlight how the losses were preventable had these rabbits not been left to fend for themselves on the streets,” the spokesperson said.
“While the ones we lost due to illness ultimately paid the price, the heartbreak on our team was high at times. We typically don’t share the gory details of some of the really bad stuff.”
P&B Haven was assisted by volunteers who took the plight of the rabbits to heart, and the spokesperson wanted to thank the Manitoba Marine Museum in Selkirk, which donated space for several adoption events and volunteer gatherings. And there were more who stepped up to help.
“We’d like to highlight some of the incredible support we received from the citizens of Selkirk, such as a pair of young girls who held a lemonade stand this past summer and raised almost $1,000 for the bunnies. It was individuals like this and the ones that stepped up to help us care for the bunnies in-house that made such a huge impact on our success.”
Other businesses that helped included Assiniboia Animal Hospital and Grant Park Animal Hospital, Selkirk Pet Valu, and Global Pet Foods St. Vital.
Kristy Hill, Selkirk’s Director of Protective Services, says the root cause of rabbits being on the streets and in the wild is animal abandonment and neglect, which falls under the Province of Manitoba’s Animal Care Act.
“The city is continuing to advocate for more provincial involvement and support to ensure long-term, enforceable solutions are in place.”
“We want to work with the province to make sure that all animals are safe and cared for, but there are only so many tools within our authority, which is why collaboration with the province is so important,” said Hill.
According to P&B, more than $50,000 was spent on the care of the rescued rabbits, including spaying and neutering of all, except for one who couldn’t be done due to medical concerns. A minimum of another $15,000 will be spent before all the rabbits are adopted.
Many of the rabbits that were captured were sick and some of the females were pregnant. Two of the females’ entire litters died due to poor nutrition in the wild.
Domestic rabbits do not do well outside of a home. Being loose in the community left rabbits stressed and more susceptible to the Encephalitozoon cuniculi parasite. Other problems for the rabbits were a lack of proper nutrition, or in some cases, no nutrition at all – some rabbits came into the rescue with infections. All of the rabbits that were rescued had fleas, some were anemic, all were very unhealthy and many required surgeries of various types. Also noticed in many of the rabbits were overgrown teeth. The teeth of domestic rabbits never stop growing and without proper nutrition and attention, complications arise such as trauma, anorexia and even death from the inability to chew and swallow.
The rescue effort was hampered by property owners who would not allow the rescue team on their property to trap rabbits.
The City of Selkirk donated space to house the rabbits along with about 100 staff hours of several employees who assisted in the effort.
Hill says pet owners are responsible for the care and well-being of their pets, whether they’re rabbits, dogs, cats or anything else. If your pet gets out of your yard, it’s up to you to retrieve it. And it’s unacceptable, and potentially unlawful, to knowingly set your pet loose.
“No matter how your pet gets loose, you, as the owner, are responsible for getting them back into your possession so that the animal can be properly cared for,” Hill said.
To learn more about future P&B Haven fundraisers and events, visit www.facebook.com/popcornsandbinkies or www.instagram.com/popcornsandbinkies. You can also learn about donation options at www.popcornsandbinkies.org/how-to-donate and view the Selkirk rabbits that still need adoption at www.popcornsandbinkies.org/rabbits.
