Pet shops, animal groups work to prevent abandonment cases ahead of Year of the Rabbit
Pet shops here have seen customers’ interest in rabbits spike by up to 30 per cent.
SINGAPORE: Pet stores and animal groups are working to prevent rabbit abandonment cases here, ahead of the coming Year of the Rabbit.
Shops have seen customers’ interest in rabbits spike by up to 30 per cent, but there are also growing concerns about what would happen if new pet owners eventually get tired of their furry companions.
Animal groups are actively educating the public about the issue to prevent people from buying pets out of impulse.
PET SHOPS PLAY THEIR PART
Some pet shops too, have taken measures to reduce impulse buying and the chances of pet abandonment further down the line.
One shop, Little Heroes, has even gone to the extent of removing rabbits from their offerings this year.
Ms Eliza Lim, co-founder of Little Heroes, said it was a “very difficult decision”.
“Part of our core business has always been to educate and screen, so owners will know the responsibility that it entails, how much time they have to allocate to caring for their pets,” she said.
The measures the shop has taken reflect the pet industry’s efforts to champion responsible pet ownership.
Some places let people experience interacting with rabbits, without the responsibility of caring for them.
At the Singapore Zoo, visitors can get up close and personal with its 12 furry residents at its Buddy Barn exhibit.
Animal care officer Mohammad Zainuddin Suandy said: "We have daily interaction sessions where guests will be able to meet with the rabbits up close and pet them, as well as getting to know more about their different personalities and habits from the keepers.”
REDUCING PET ABANDONMENT
All these support what animal welfare groups, such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Singapore, are doing to educate the public and reduce the chances of the animals being abandoned.
Ms Aarthi Sankar, executive director of SPCA Singapore, said the organisation is trying to raise awareness and “ensure that people know the right type of housing, the food (and) the kind of care that you need to provide for your rabbits”.
“At the same time, we have been doing a lot of proactive campaigning to try to minimise and make sure that it doesn't become a very large number of animals that are being abandoned or surrendered,” she said.
The organisation already sees about four to six rabbits surrendered every month, and it is worried that the number could escalate over this year.