Unwanted Easter Bunnies Dropped Off at Animal Shelter

Woodbridge, NJ - Unfortunately, it happens every year, about a month or so after Easter.

Around April or May, they start trickling in to the Woodbridge Animal Shelter: Bunny rabbits that were given as adorable, soft little Easter Sunday gifts.

"Yes, it still happens: People still give bunnies as Easter presents to kids," said Heather Campione, shelter manager. "And we start to get them about a month later, when the kids get tired of cleaning its cage, when they stop paying attention to it and when it starts biting, because it's never been properly socialized."

Another thing people will do with the animals is drop the unwanted bunnies off in a park, Campione says. This is a big mistake, because the bunny will not survive in the wild.

"This has been a domestic animal all its life: It's never learned how to find its own food, or hide from predators like hawks," she said. "Please don't just drop a bunny or rabbit off in a park or wooded area and think it will be OK."

And that's not all. People will also give baby chicks and ducklings as gifts around Easter, she said.

"We'll start to see those about three to four months from now, when they grow up. People see that that adorable baby chick they were given on Easter Sunday grows up to be a rooster," she said. "Now they don't want it, and it's very difficult for us to find a home for a rooster."

If you really want to adopt a bunny for Easter, adopt a rescue rabbit through your local shelter. For example, the Woodbridge Animal Shelter works with a rabbit rescue group and they can try to provide you with a rabbit that's been neutered and socialized. Or even better yet, she says, bring the kids to a local animal shelter for the Easter holiday, so they can learn the hard work and dedication it takes to care for another animal.