Florida group rallies to raise awareness for rabbits

Four people braved the Gainesville heat Sunday to raise awareness for forgotten rabbits in rescues across Florida.

Founder of Adopt Don’t Shop Florida Lisa Grossman, 57, stood with signs on Northwest 13th Street in front of Rural King. She was soon joined by Gainesville residents Pat Sherry, 78, Pat Compton, 63, and Sharon Nataline. 

The rally had been announced at the end of June on the group’s Facebook page to gain the attention of a younger audience, which it did not garner.

The group was there for two reasons, Grossman said. First, Rural King made an unkept promise to have adoption events. Second, they wanted to speak for the more than 100 rabbits in shelters. 

When a manager at the Rural King was asked for an interview, he deferred to Bobby Terrell.

Terrell is a sales associate in the store’s farming section, where the store had four white rabbits for sale for $19.99 each.

“We sell two to three rabbits a day, sometimes more,” Terrell said.

The store hosts a swap meet for animals in the parking lot. They are traded for other animals or items.

People who either breed rabbits or can’t take care of them bring them in and sell them to the store, Terrell said.

There are backyard breeders selling to stores “with moms sitting in cages turning out babies,” Grossman said.

Kathy Finelli, director of Gainesville Rabbit Rescue, said they adopt out five to 10 rabbits a month compared with Rural King’s two to three a day.

The selling of rabbits also costs taxpayers money, she said. A 10-pound rabbit costs $25 to $30 a month to feed, plus $55 to spay or neuter.

Rabbit breeders are worse than puppy mills, Finelli said. Rabbits have babies every 28 to 32 days. When the moms can no longer have babies, they are killed.

“This is not acceptable in this day and age,” Finelli said. “Rural King is making money off the backs of little animals.”