Who needs a rabbit?

Athens is infested with stray rabbits. Families buy animals to keep their kids entertained (mostly around Easter) and then abandon them by the dozen when they grow up (and get bored).

On the streets and in the parks of Athens, even in the National Garden at Zappeion, rabbits appeared, “fulfilling their task” – to please the child. The fact that this is a living organism and requires conditions of detention, adults, apparently, do not want to understand. And they are easily thrown out into the street. Many of them were hit by cars, and members of the Adoption Rabbits rescue team stood up for others.

Rabbits are found in yards and parks

A rabbit with its ears cut off (in the hands of sadists) was found in Keratsini on April 17, and a few days ago, the animal protection group was notified that two more were thrown into the street in the Haidari district, and before the activists could intervene, the animals were hit by passing car.

Early in the morning we meet Katerina Skulidu, a member of the team that is trying to collect the rabbits and find families that will give them shelter. She continues to talk on the phone, trying to send a taxi driver to the Petroupoli area to pick up another rabbit found on the street and take it to an abandoned animal shelter.

“The problem has escalated, as over the past three years, only our team has been called for help many times. About 1000 rabbits were found on the streets of the city. Families buy them for their children to “play with”, but when the animals grow up, they no longer need them, and then they are simply thrown into the street. We found that many of them died under the wheels of cars, while others were mistreated or seriously injured, ”Ms Skulidu told the publication. iefimerida.

As she explains, members of the group keep them in their homes until they give them “in good hands”, at the time of the interview, the shelter contained 16 rabbits found on the streets.

“The state must immediately intervene to stop the uncontrolled sale of rabbits “on a whim” and, in addition, a law must be passed so that animals cannot be thrown out into the street so easily,” notes Ms. Skulidu, “Unfortunately, some people there is not enough education in the field of animal protection, and, alas, we cannot always know who abandoned the unfortunate animals in order to punish their former owners.

Social media posts about abandoned bunnies continue

As rescue team members explain, the rabbit market is booming around Easter. Many parents take them as a “living gift” to their children. A new wave of reports of abandoned animals is now expected, as more than two months have passed and the rabbits have grown (and rather tired). In addition, the summer holidays are approaching, when families go on vacation, and where to leave the rabbit, because you can’t take it with you? Correctly! Throw it out on the street.

Animal welfare activists are sounding the alarm and have written to the authorities asking them to “eliminate the phenomenon” and tighten the law in order to “set people’s brains right”.

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