Rabbit Rescue founder Haviva Porter with her 7-year-old rex rabbit, Nut Brown, at their home in Cambridge, Ont., on April 24.Nicole Osborne/The Globe and Mail
The organizer: Haviva Porter
The pitch: Founding Rabbit Rescue
As soon as Haviva Porter got her first pet rabbit, Marbles, she instantly fell in love with bunnies.
“I would talk to everyone about my bunny,” Ms. Porter , 48, recalled from her home in Cambridge, Ont. She didn’t know much about how to care for Marbles at first and quickly discovered that she had many misconceptions. “I learned so much that first year and what amazing animals they are for the right home.”
Soon neighbours and friends began asking her to take in rabbits they no longer wanted. They didn’t want to turn to animal shelters because they were packed and had poor adoption rates. So in 2002, Ms. Porter quit her job at a veterinary clinic and launched a charity called Rabbit Rescue.
“There were so many cat and dog rescues but nothing dedicated for rabbits. So I just wanted to make a difference and try to help some bunnies,” she said. “It sort of took off like crazy.”
She started running pet adoption centres in two pet supply stores and soon found volunteers willing to become rabbit foster homes. She also started working with shelters to take in rabbits when the facility becomes overcrowded. “Shelters really need support because they have limited staff and space. The sad reality is that most shelters have to euthanize,” she said. “We pull the rabbits out when they’re out of time.”
Ms. Porter said abandonment of pet rabbits has become a major problem, especially after Easter when many parents get a bunny for their children. She has teams of volunteers across Ontario who rescue rabbits that have been left by the road or in parks.
The charity also provides detailed information on how to care for rabbits, the third most popular pet, behind cats and dogs, but also one of the most mistreated animals. “They’re eaten, they’re tested on, they’re used for fur,” she said.
Rabbit Rescue now has a network of 50 foster homes in Ontario and Quebec who take in unwanted bunnies – and the occasional hamster and gerbil – until they can be adopted.
Everything is funded through donations and Ms. Porter has built up a large community of bunny lovers. “They’re just good people,” she said. “And rabbit people love other rabbit people.”