By Juliana Hoft
Staff Writer
Like all other animals, some owners abuse or abandon their pet rabbits. A new club has been organized at Mira Costa to help rabbits that have been mistreated or abandoned by their owners.
Juniors Kim Koltun and Sara Adams started the Too Many Bunnies Club in the hopes of preventing the mistreatment of pet rabbits. They started working at the Too Many Bunnies Shelter in Redondo last summer and decided to start a club to expand their efforts with the same name.
Koltun and Adams plan to focus on the club’s efforts on supporting the activities of the Too Many Bunnies shelter, fundraising and increasing public awareness about their cause.
“We started the club to save the bunnies and rabbits that are dumped on the side of the road as if they’re garbage,” co-president Adams said. “Several bunnies that Linda, the director of the Redondo Beach shelter, cares for, have serious problems because of poor treatment by their owners. Not only do we deal with animal rights, but more specifically the safety of bunnies in the South Bay.”
Linda Baley, the owner and founder of the shelter, has played a crucial role in the start of this club. She founded the shelter in 2002 when she rescued more than 30 abandoned bunnies in Alondra Park in Torrance. When she rescued these helpless bunnies, Baley provided food and shelter, veterinary care and gave them much-needed attention.
The “RabbitTrail” is her home where most of her bunnies are kept, but some are also sheltered at volunteer homes until they are adopted. Linda organizes all of the volunteers, foster care, and adoptions that occur at her shelter.
“Our goal is to find loving homes for bunnies as well as educate current owners,” Baley said. “We will not turn away any bunny regardless of health, age, or temperament. The organization’s main goal is to see that the right rabbit is placed with the right family, so we screen all adoptive families to ensure the rabbit finds a secure and loving home.”
During Too Many Bunnies club, the members discuss ways to raise funds for the adoption program at Baley’s shelter. On occasion the club receives visits from Baley herself, who brings bunnies to the classroom and tells stories about each bunny’s personal history.
“Though one of our main priorities is raising money consistently for the Too Many Bunnies Shelter, we also hope to promote humane education,” Koltun said. “We’d like to create a voice for the voiceless and make a real change in most people’s mindset toward bunnies and other animals in danger.”
Approximately 30 Costa students have expressed interest in joining the club. Given that the club is new, the members don’t have any major events planned yet but look forward to discussing ideas at their upcoming meeting. The Too Many Bunnies Club is held in Mrs. Chen’s class, room 17, on Wednesdays at lunch.
“I started volunteering at the shelter because the bunnies deserve the help,” volunteer Dana Donnelly said. “I help by writing grants and stuff like that. I have 25 bunnies myself, fosters and not fosters, because they’re wonderful companions, and sadly too many people don’t understand that. Bunnies deserve just as much love as a dog, cat, bird, horse, or any other animal.”
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