My Progress
I have contacted the DBPR, small animals veterinary program, state senators, ARBA, PETA, pharmaceutical companies and many more to resolve issues for rabbits and rabbit owners and here’s what I know:
Most vets can treat any animal if they are a general practitioner, but it’s vet discretion to choose patients they are comfortable with treating.
non profit organizations dedicated to animal rights have no teeth, we will need legislation to give these organizations a level of authority to prevent animal cruelty.
There are 470 million dogs 370 million cats and 14 million rabbits domestically across the globe with roughly 1/3 of those totals being in the US.
Animals across multiple industries and species are being inbred to save money and increase profit margins despite the issues associated with it.
Attempting anything less than federal legislation against inbreeding will likely be small potatoes.
Our most popular breeds of any animal family were crosses of 2 or more breeds. Then through inbreeding these species were propagated, but we are starting to see diminishing returns. Only through outbreeding can we rehabilitate these species saving customers money and increasing the quality of life of our animals.
Competitive shows for animals while interesting and entertaining could be the leading cause of promoting these deformities. Supporting only a limited catalog, with strict adherences to arbitrary rules and standards, and requiring pedigrees that don’t mind inbreeding as long as it’s the same species is what put us in this position.
Culling procedures and eating of rabbits or Abandoning them seem to be the reason they are outnumbered by cat and dogs in addition to traditional popularity.
Rabbits are the 3rd most popular pet on the globe and are also the least likely to get medical treatment or appropriate care in the home setting.
Myxomatosis and RHDV were man made diseases used to kill undomesticated rabbits that spread rapidly and kills both domestic and undomesticated species. undomesticated species are seen as pests and vermin and also require our protection.
Rabbits can be used to rehabilitate entire habitats being both primary consumers and abundant sources of food and fertilizer. If we lose them there will be a global toll to pay.
Based on my research, I expect we have less than 50 years before domestic rabbits become extinct if we don’t make changes now. We need to dissolve the old guard and institute new policies to protect them and their undomesticated cousins.
Ive put in a lot of work on this project and I can accomplish most of the leg work, but I can’t do this alone. I need help in reaching rabbit owners of the globe and affecting policy. I could also use some assistance from the scientific community to make sure as we adopt new species we are catering to their needs appropriately and not modeling off of a 100 year old style of Cuniculture. Please spread the word and help me save rabbits everywhere.