Urgent Appeal for Rescue Support for Confiscated Aptos Rabbits

Update: December 13, 2011

On November 7 the Rabbit Haven took on the management of the 117 rabbits who had been confiscated by the Santa Cruz Animal care and control from a cruel Aptos Breeder. Each rabbit was evaluated, provided medical care, spayed or neutered and then placed for rescue, foster and adoption.

With heavy support from CA rescue community we found rescue/adoption for aprox 60 rabbits. The Rabbit Haven opened many new foster sites to care for the remaining 57. In addition we took out all mothers with new litters.

We need one final rescue for the last eight rabbits remaining at the shelter -They have only until December 17 to be at the shelter.

Please take a look at the pictures. These rabbits are friendly, healthy bunnies, all are neutered. Please help us get these rabbits out - One final Christmas miracle please. Together we can do this.

Transport is available for you. Leslie or a Rabbit Haven volunteer will bring your bunny to you.

We love each and every rabbit. They have made it so far. They have completely transformed since their arrival. Once covered in mud, dirty and starving they are now healthy, spayed/ neutered and clean. Plus Each bunny comes with their own gift bag for Christmas and binkies for you for saving them. Will you help them?

This confiscation came during our customary dumping season -December - The shelter is completely full in their small adoption area, so all 8 of these rabbits must leave the shelter. We have only days to accomplish this. Their deadline is quite real.

Let us know if you can fit in one anywhere. Call to ask about personality and details about each rabbit. The Have will also arrange transport. Auntie Heather
director@therabbithaven.org
831-600-7479

Joey George

Marco Roscoe

Sansa Superman

Theon Tiber

Update: November 30, 2011

This is Sarafina. She and many other bunnies need your help today.

Update on the Santa cruz rescue! Several from the rescue community have responded. We need all of you to help PLEASE.

SLOBuns is coming up on Friday to take 5 rabbits. AFRP Rabbits Rock is taking out 6 on Thursday, and will be here to take 15 on Wednesday. Leaps & Bounds Rabbit Rescue, Inc. are taking 4 and maybe more on Friday. SaveABunny and Rabbit Ears will be taking rabbits soon as well. This is an urgent alert! We need help please. Santa Cruz/Watsonville shelter systems cannot manage these numbers. December 17 is the deadline for us to get them out. Help us help the bunnies. They have just been through hell, now they are clean, spayed/neutered, and starting to be happy. They are the most precious little bunnies. We also have special needs bunnies for you to consider - those who had their ears cut off and who have suffered from serious abscesses they have all had surgery but need recovery time.

TRANSPORT: Huge thank you to the San Jose spay/neuter team who has tirelessly worked to transport rabbits from shelters to spay neuter appointments. Amazing Lily, Natasha and Mark are the San Jose transport team that stepped up big time to assist with transport to spay/neuter. Such a blessing. Leslie, volunteer rabbit advocate in Santa Cruz has made a huge commitment of time to take the rabbits each morning to Los Gatos for hub transport and then sometimes meeting back in Los Gatos in the evening. She is all heart and dedicated to the rabbit's welfare. Transports have been in operation since the 21st - I am even overnighting shelter or foster bunnies since they get back too late to get into the shelter. We are working non stop to get these rabbits spayed and neutered so they can go to rescues. Tough to get the number of rabbits done in time. Dr. Hilary Stern has offered one free spay/neuter day at the shelter this Sunday for these rescues. What a gift of love for all these rabbits. A few other vets have also expressed an interest in helping pro-bono.

Call us. Every rabbit needs out please. Call with your ideas. At this point call me make appointments to have me meet you at the shelter in either Santa Cruz or Watsonville. I will handle outtake paperwork with the shelters who are being very cooperative. We also have many in foster care temporary sites. These are also available. We are focusing on the rabbits at the two shelters first.

Auntie Heather, The Rabbit Haven

November 28. 2011

Hi we are just two of 80 - HELP!

80 rabbits need rescue by 12/17/2011

On November 6, 2011 114 rabbits were confiscated by SCACC Santa Cruz County. These rabbits have been housed at the Santa Cruz shelter, Watsonville shelter and in the Rabbit Haven foster network. The Rabbit Haven has been closely involved effective November 7th. We have provided initial evaluations, grooming, litter, litter boxes, food/hay, basic care, and feeding. We have worked with mobile vets incoming to provide vet care at the shelter, provided spay neuter assistance and transport to spay neuter services. Haven staff has taken responsibility for care and clean up for all Santa Cruz rabbits.(There were 70) Watsonville could not be scheduled due to limited space there for staff. We are only allowed to have one volunteer at a time in Watsonville. So at Watsonville we could offer only the 11 days of full staff coverage plus all food and hay. We are doing our best.

The Haven has set up 36 sites to take out the overflow. The numbers have increased due to initial undercounting and new births at the shelter. We were not allowed to spay in advance of November 20 as the rabbits were not yet the property of the county, so new litters were born. All mothers and litters are safe inside of The Haven.

On November 23rd we met with the shelter Director and staff at the county. Due to lack of staff to hold the shelter open, mandatory furloughs, time pressure on the limited staff and inadequate resources, the county of Santa Cruz set the deadline for the removal of the rabbits at December 18. They cannot keep these rabbits past that time. This means that the Rabbit Haven has 24 days to remove all these rabbits.

We can meet you at Watsonville or Santa Cruz shelters to facilitate your rescue or we can just make arrangements by email and phone and we can send transport to you. Let's make it work. Please look at your facilities, call your fosters, look everywhere you can think of for a space please. We have transport on standby. The Haven has helped when needed and now we need your help. Contact us immediately by phone (831 600-7479) or email (director@therabbithaven.org) to let us know how many you can safely take in.

One rescue group is coming up mid week and they are taking 9 to 11. There is NO charge to any rescue to take a rabbit from this confiscation. We are doing our very best to spay neuter. However given the time frame involved, we cannot get 80 done in time. We can help you with spay/neuter later at 4 paws in Fremont.

Some of the rabbits are still on meds. We will send meds with them. Many still need eye drops / TMS to treat eye issues due to the terrible living conditions. They have already been treated for parasites and mites and vetted. All injuries have been repaired including some surgeries. The majority of the rabbits are looking very good now. We have many gray dutch mix bunnies, sables, lots of dwarfs and rexes. You can see photos of the the Watsonville rabbits and the Santa Cruz rabbits. Please let us know what you need. We are also opening all rabbits in adoption to rescue as well. Any rabbit at either shelter is available for rescue. Given their limited staff, the shelter is going back to 4 in Watsonville and 9 at Santa Cruz. This places all front room adoptable rabbits at risk too. We have chinchilla rabbits, dwarfs, and many other sweet loving rabbits. Pictures can be sent of these also.

This situation is extremely stressful- All of us at The Haven have been working full time plus to help existing rabbits and our existing 140 population. We need your help. We cannot do this alone. There are too many rabbits at the shelter. Together we can do this.

We have exhausted our resources and will stretch more however we need outside help for such a large rescue. Please help. Call, email, set a time to meet, ask for pictures. Whatever you need, we can figure it out. Help has been offered so far by Rabbits Rock, HRS, Harvest Home, SaveABunny, SAC Rescue, and BUNS. We can use whatever help you can provide.

This girl had her ears cut off! She was rescued and taken in by Karen at Harvest Home! Her name is Patti, and you can read about her on the Harvest Home blog.
Happy Thanksgiving to you - I look forward to hearing from you!

Love to you,

Auntie Heather (831 600-7479) or email (director@therabbithaven.org)
The Rabbit Haven
www.therabbithaven.org
(on behalf off the 80 rabbits that must leave the shelter by December 17.)