March 21, 2008

SECAUCUS, N.J. – Thinking of Easter can cause a sweet tooth to ache with visions of baskets brimming with jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. But that’s exactly the hoped-for result one Ohio group wants.

Make Mine Chocolate is the campaign launched by the Columbus House Rabbit Society to combat the surge of unwanted pet rabbits following the Easter season.

“We were constantly getting calls about rabbits no longer wanted all year round, but certainly at Easter because it’s an impulse buy,” said Karalee Curry, president of CHRS. “So we started a campaign to increase awareness of the commitment involved with owning a rabbit.”

In the Columbus area, the society statistically tracked a 62% increase of calls and e-mails to regional shelters with requests to drop off rabbits -- coinciding with the average onset of puberty in Easter bunnies.

“It’s usually at the end of summer and the beginning of fall, that we see the jump, depending on what kind of bunny it was and how old it was (when bought),” said Curry, who reported larger breeds mature between eight and 10 months of age, while the more popular “Easter bunny” tend to include smaller breeds which mature around six months of age.

The problem, according to Curry, stems from the influence of media advertisements and the stereotypical notion that rabbits are a cuddly, greeting card animal.

“It contributes to the problem,” said Curry. “Everything –- America -- is based on visual stuff, so when we see it, people think, ‘Oh that’s a good idea, let me check into getting Suzy a rabbit for Easter.’ ”

But the campaign is out to change that mentality by increasing the public’s awareness about owning rabbits. And they aren’t the only ones spreading the word on impulse pet ownership.

“Although animals may be a surprising and enjoyable Easter gift, they should not be purchased on a whim,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, who issued the caution in a press release earlier this month.

The commissioner’s message was echoed by Dr. Ella Boyd, a veterinarian and the public health coordinator for Ocean County, N.J.

“A stuffed baby animal will give your child as much satisfaction as a live one,” said Boyd, who also noted rabbits and chicks should not be handled by young children as there is a chance for contracting diseases, such as Salmonella bacteria.

(Eds. Note: Rabbits are not carriers of Salmonella bacteria; but can carry mite-born skin diseases, contagious to humans, such as sarcoptic mange.)

The impulse buys all too often lead to a strain on local shelters and rescue groups.

“They must deal with the cost and the heartbreak of caring for, trying to find homes for and, sadly, sometimes having to euthanize these animals after the holiday is over,” said Irvin.

But the six-year old Make Mine Chocolate campaign -- which has had a national presence since 2004 -- is boosting the country’s overall education level of Easter bunnies, said Curry.

As a result, “some of the stores have agreed to not sell rabbits around Easter, but the larger ones don’t,” said Curry of Ohio’s pet retailers.

“And, unfortunately, there are new people ever year that don’t know about it, and don’t think about the long-term care of the bunny, or they think there kids is different or their situation is different,” said Curry.

So for Curry and the Make Mine Chocolate campaign, the mission continues until “there are no bunnies bought at Easter and the connection between ‘buy bunnies at Easter’ is lost.”

While her goal might seem lofty, it could be a reality sooner rather than later -- if a recent survey is any predicator.

The National Confectioners Association reports that chocolate and candy bunnies far outrank live rabbits as the preferred Easter gift of Americans.

Of those surveyed, 82 percent said they would most like to receive a confectioned bunny, while four percent said they would prefer a live rabbit for Easter.

For more information on Make Mine Chocolate, or to order a campaign awareness pin, visit makeminechocolate.org or call 614-895-0004.

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