Rescue of the month - May

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Hunnybunny2007
Posts: 9045
Joined: 09 Oct 2011 11:55

Rescue of the month - May

Post by Hunnybunny2007 »

This months featured rescue is Southampton Rescue, thank you to Foofy for all the information :)

Southampton Rabbit Rescue officially opened it's doors as a Rescue centre back in the autumn of 2000. The Centre is run by Sue and her husband Steve .
The rescuing started back in the summer of 2000 when a cardboard box with a mummy bunny and her 6 babies was left on their doorstep. Unfortunately 3 of the babies had already succumbed to the heat and dehydration and Mum & the remaining 3 babies were touch and go for more than a week. Well they did all pull through and we eventually found them all loving new homes.

Before starting the rescue Sue wanted to find out what it would involve and what to expect, so after trawling the internet, reading numerous books and pestering the life out of her vet, and agreement from her husband Steve the Centre started. At first nothing, no phone calls or new arrivals and then they started! the first a rescue from a pet shop, then a bunny found in a bin, another found still in it's hutch abandoned in the middle of the New Forest, one from a breeder, then came the unwanted, ill treated and the abandoned.
With each new arrival Sue's commitment to these loving little animals grew, and her heart weakened and was broken on so many occasions. All too often she would arrive too late to save one, but with every sad story there came a good one.

The Centre started to receive more rabbits than they could house so the 'Bunny House' shed was built in Sue's back garden, the hutches were made to measure to fit inside so they could fit in as many as possible. The 'Bunny House' is usually full up with the old and sick bunnies nowadays and Sue's patio and garden is lined with the rest of the rabbit hutches, which are usually all full up too!

The Centre operates a Sponsorship Scheme for the bunnies that cannot be rehomed due to ongoing ill health, old age or behavioural issues, you pay a monthly donation for your chosen sponsor bunny and all the funds raised go towards caring for the sponsor rabbits, as the cost of vets bills, food and bedding runs into thousands of £'s each year. They currently have 18 rabbits available for sponsorship, they can all be found in the sponsorship section on the Rescue's website with a write up and a photo of each one. If you are local to Southampton and sponsor a bunny, the centre welcomes people along to meet their sponsor bunny by appointment, most of them love having cuddles and enjoy all the attention.

To help raise funds for the Rescue, the Centre also offers a boarding service for rabbits. They can cater for all breeds of rabbit, even special needs, or bunnies on medication. They also offer a grooming service, nail clips and health checks as Sue is a qualified Animal Nursing Assistant and also has a higher diploma in Rabbit Care & Behaviour.

And of course the Rescue always has lots of rabbits available for adoption for details of rabbits currently looking for new homes see the rehoming page on their website or give the centre a ring. The website is http://www.southamptonrabbitrescue.org.uk/default.html

The Rescue would like to thank everyone at Pledge a Pound for all their support and donations. The Rescue usually uses any PAP donations towads paying off their vets bill which is usually quite large! The Rescue is not a charity and receives no public funding like some charities, and therefore relies heavily on support and donations from the general public, past adopters, and PaP. The Rescue sometimes have items donated to them which they can sell on to raise funds, sometimes they have cages, runs etc for sale and have a 'for sale' section on their website.

Some of you may remember Chester Peanut from his story and appearing on the front cover of Bunny Mad Magazine last year, he is now one of the sponsor buns at the Centre, he arrived at the centre when he was 5 weeks old and was hand reared by Sue and had lots of health problems and was very lucky to survive all his siblings died.

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Herbie is a very handsome french lop who is another of the sponsor bunnies at the centre, he has had an abcess on his jaw and also has eye problems and has had to have quite a few operations to try and help him.

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Hunnybunny2007
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Joined: 09 Oct 2011 11:55

Re: Rescue of the month - May

Post by Hunnybunny2007 »

Thank you for sharing your story with us, it's so sad that some of the rabbits you receive are in such a poor state of health, a lot of rescues now have to offer sanctuary places for these poor creatures that have had such a bad start in life, people do not realise the emotional and financial drain this can put on a rescue :(

You will be receiving a £20 voucher from us for featuring as our rescue of the month, I hope the bunnies enjoy their treats :)
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Foofy
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Location: Southampton

Re: Rescue of the month - May

Post by Foofy »

Just to add what a wonderful job Sue @ Southampton Rescue does all my 4 bunnies came from the Centre.

Unfortunately a tiny baby bunny that Sue was hand rearing called Fidget passed away overnight on Sunday :( Sue is hearbroken he was only 5 weeks old she did such a super job with him for a month or so and we all though he as going to make it and then he died unexpectedly :( Sue always does a brilliant job with all the bunnies at the centre :)
Imagenew sig by Sue Gibson, on Flickr
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