Rescue a Rabbit This Month At Queens' 'Meet The Buns' Event

COLLEGE POINT, NY – Forest Hills resident Vivian Barna wants the rabbits she's rescued to find their forever homes this month – but not until she's sure they're hopping into the arms of owners who can properly care for them.

The founder of All About Rabbits Rescue will be at Petco in College Point doing just that for "Meet The Buns" on Nov. 18. Visitors can meet rabbits up for adoption, learn proper bunny care and even browse rabbit-themed jewelry at the event hosted by the nonprofit organization which rescues and re-homes abandoned and neglected animals.

But don't expect to leave with a rabbit if you haven't done your homework.

Barna said the organization, which has re-homed upwards of 200 rabbits since its 2012 inception, goes to great lengths to find the animals good homes, including an application process to ensure would-be owners know, and can handle, the commitment they're taking on.

Those looking to adopt a bunny at the event should contact the organization well in advance, she said.

"We're looking for someone that has done their rabbit homework, with a willingness and eagerness to research proper rabbit care," Barna said. "The caretaker needs to be vigilant about their rabbit."

She explained rabbits come with a laundry list of responsibilities, ranging from basics like providing specific types of rabbit food and plenty of water to those that are less well-know, like rabbit-proofing your house and making sure your bunny gets plenty sunlight and supervised time outside a cage, she said.

Barna said its important her rabbits to go to homes where they won't be cooped up in a cage all day.

"Would you cage a dog or cat like that? No," she said. "Do you find a rabbit confined in the wild? No. It has always an option to leave its hole underground and roam around."

New York City pet shops have been banned from selling rabbits for years, in part because so many people bought them without knowing the care they required. Barna was among those who pushed the ban to city council, which outlawed rabbit sales in 2014 to curb the masses of unwanted bunnies showing up at citywide shelters.

"You had ignorant pet shop employees selling to the ignorant public," she said. "Generally speaking they're uneducated and unschooled in proper rabbit care and what rabbits are about."

Barna hosts "Meet the Bun" events in the area, typically once or twice a month, to change that. The next one is at the Petco at 13311 20th Ave. from noon to 3 p.m. Aside from parading the cuddly creatures up for adoption, the nonprofit will also offer basic rabbit care lessons, like how to trim their nails, check them for sickness or injury, and respond to a medical emergency, she said. Bunny-themed jewelry, priced anywhere from $20 to $200 will also be for sale, with proceeds going to the nonprofit's efforts to rescue and care for abandoned rabbits.

Anyone looking to take a rabbit home from the event should contact AARR beforehand at AllAboutRabbitsRescue@gmail.com. The adoption fee is $75 and includes spaying or neutering, Barna said. Those who can't make the event can still adopt by simply finding one of the nonprofit's foster locations online.

Lead image via Little New York Photography, used with permission.