GRAPHIC VIDEO: New undercover investigation reveals cruelty inside rabbit farms linked to the UK. PETITION

“The condition these poor rabbits have to endure before slaughter is heartbreaking & just sickening! No animal should suffer disease, pain, infection & total a lack of care; when the ultimate end is for human enjoyment!. This despicable industry must be stopped, please help by signing the petition & spreading it far & wide, thanks!”

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE OR AT THE LINK BELOW; THIS SUFFERING MUST BE STOPPED:–http://www.animalequality.net/news/623/new-undercover-investigation-reveals-cruelty-inside-rabbit-farms-linked-uk

For over 2 years, Animal Equality investigators have infiltrated the rabbit meat industry in Spain. Two of the farms investigated are directly linked with restaurants in the UK.

Today, Animal Equality has been featured in The Sunday Times where it reveals the shocking findings of its latest investigation. Two of the farms investigated are linked to and English distributor, and restaurants such as the Terrace at the National Theatre in London.

For over a period of 2 years, Animal Equality investigators infiltrated the Spanish rabbit meat industry. A total of 72 farms, and 4 slaughterhouses have been investigated.

Findings of this investigation:

• Animals killed by blunt force trauma. Furthermore, our investigators have been able to report that this is a common practice within rabbit industry.

• Workers throwing live rabbits into the waste containers, due to over-production.

• Animals with open wounds or infections were left in the cages and had no veterinary treatment.

• Cannibalism amongst certain animals provoked by over-crowded conditions.

• Farms selling rabbits to restaurants without them first meeting health and safety requirements.

• A vet smashing a rabbit against the ground whilst acknowledging, to the camera, that this constitutes animal abuse.

• Farms which had never received health and bio-security inspections

• Dead animals left to rot in cages next to live animals.

WARNING: THE VIDEO YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE CONTAINS GRAPHIC FOOTAGE.

 Published on 25 May 2014

Help animals now! Take action at http://Rabbit-Farms.org 

For over 2 years, Animal Equality investigators have infiltrated the rabbit meat industry in Spain. Two of the farms investigated are directly linked with restaurants in the UK.

Support now our work for the defence of animals athttp://AnimalEquality.net/donation

Animal Equality has already taken legal action against the farms and slaughterhouses investigated. Administrative sanctions on those responsible, may vary from 60,001 to 1,200,000 euros in the case of very serious offences, and fines from 600 to 3,000 euros for minor offences.

Findings of this investigation:

• Animals killed by blunt force trauma. Furthermore, our investigators have been able to report that this is a common practice within rabbit industry.

• Workers throwing live rabbits into the waste containers, due to over-production.

• Animals with open wounds or infections were left in the cages and had no veterinary treatment.

• Cannibalism amongst certain animals due to over-crowded conditions.

• Farms selling rabbits to restaurants without them first meeting health and safety requirements.

• A vet smashing a rabbit against the ground whilst acknowledging, to the camera, that it was animal abuse.

• Farms which had never received health and bio-security inspections

• Dead animals left to rot in cages next to live animals.

Animal Equality has already taken legal action against the farms and slaughterhouses investigated. Administrative sanctions on those responsible, may vary from 60,001 to 1,200,000 euros in the case of very serious offences and fines from 600 to 3,000 euros for minor offences.

News Link & Petition:- http://www.animalequality.net/news/623/new-undercover-investigation-reveals-cruelty-inside-rabbit-farms-linked-uk

 “Thanks to my daughter for writing this…not been well…sorry for lack of posts but will be back ASAP XXX”

Marshal County Government, APHIS/USDA: Stop The Torture and Killing of Live Domestic Rabbits Used as Hunting Bait: Petition to Sign

“All animals are born innocent, but in the wild they learn from the parents, teaching them how to hunt & catch food to survive; thus is the cycle of life. But for dogs born in captivity, they are born with a strong need to love & be loved; all puppies are adorable little fluff balls who adore human interaction! However, the video below just breaks my heart, the little pups are purely fascinated with this new toy, licking & wagging their wee tails. However, their training will commence & the dogs will turn into killers; taught by the owner they will eventually track, lock on, then kill innocent wildlife; which I find despicable!” 

This Petition is by Linda Sue Washington, PA:-http://www.change.org/petitions/marshal-county-government-aphis-usda-stop-the-torture-and-killing-of-live-domestic-rabbits-used-as-hunting-bait

Live Helpless Animals do not deserve to be tortured Or killed unnecessarily for entertainment or sport when Ethical alternatives exist.

Petition letter:-

To:
The President of the United States
Governor Phil Bryant
Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves
Mayor Kelvin O. Buck
Senator Angela Burks Hill
County Commissioners
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks
USDA
ASPCA
WLBT News Marsha Thompson
Beagles Unlimited
American Kennel Club
The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association
USDA
MS Hunting Dog Association
American Humane Association
IDA
peta
Mercy For Animals
HSUS
Jan Schaefer

We would like thank the Mississippi Legislature and Governor Phil Bryant for passage of S.B. 2504 in 2012 which extends the state’s prohibition on a cruel and inhumane form of staged animal combat called hog-dog fighting. We ask this same respect and compassion be given to the Tame Domestic Rabbits being used as Live Bait for Dog Hunting Training. We the petitioners would like to file Animal Cruelty Complaints on David Wring of Beagles On Fire for the unnecessary, intentional and barbaric torturing of tame domestic rabbits being used as Live Bait to train his breeding hunting dogs and for selling and recommending tame domestic rabbits to be used as Live hunting training Bait by others when there are ethical alternatives.

Video Evidence:-

Sight Chasing Rabbits With Dee & Maggie Pups 2013

Published on 17 Sep 2013 – davidwring1

Beaglesonfire.com showing Dee’s pups & Maggie’s pups some rabbits @ 10 weeks old

Rest Of Petition Text:-

Tame domestic rabbits are seen running for their lives banging off of fences to escape packs of hunting dogs until they are succumbed from sheer exhaustion only to be repeatedly attacked until they can no longer fight back.

Rabbits have small, fragile bones that can be easily injured,/backs broken and being Prey animals stress causes them to go into shock resulting in death. It is our opinion that the rabbits in these videos are clearly being tortured beyond survival. 

IS MR. WRING CLEARLY PULLING A DEAD BLACK RABBIT OUT OF THIS VIDEO (TUGGING IT FROM THE DOGS LOCKED JAWS ) AFTER IT POSSIBLY DIED FROM SHOCK WHEN HELPLESSLY & REPEATEDLY ATTACKED, BITTEN, THEN “DRAGGED BY ITS FACE”?
How is this barbaric display of horrific senseless cruelty considered acceptable behaviour? Contact with a domestic rabbit in No Way prepares a hunting dog to catch a speedy wild rabbit. This practice is wanton cruelty, pure and simple and there is no logical or practical reason to subject live domestic rabbits to this unnecessary torture and suffering except for entertainment, ignorance, laziness or profit.David Wring of Beagles On Fire proudly invites you to click on his video’s and watch the “Fun” when packs of 6-10 beagle pups are taught to torture tame domestic rabbits (prey animals) by chasing, forcefully cornering, attacking, biting and piling on top of them causing them extreme distress, harm and fear for their lives. There is no possibility for the rabbits to escape from these wired enclosures, as would be the case “if” they were out in the wild.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rx82ayPEd0Mr. Wring claims to have been raising domestic rabbits for the last 2 years as Live Bait to “Train” his dogs within his inescapable training pen. He has increased his operation to the point that he can now sell rabbits to the public encouraging others to also torture, abuse, injure or cause the death of tame docile domestic rabbits in hunting training.
http://www.beaglesonfire.com/hunter-the-retrieving-beagl/rabbits-for-sale.htmlA domestic animal does NOT exhibit the same hard wired survival instincts that a wild creature does and therefore will not know how to escape from its predator – in this case, packs of hunting dogs. A domestic rabbit’s instincts are watered down due to the genetic manipulation of its gene pool, when you put a live domestic rabbit in the same pen with predators, you have just committed murder. That rabbit has no clue how to defend itself (and it can’t) causing an elevated heart rate, rapid respiration, its adrenaline will go full tilt, and its lactic acid will build rapidly.

A domestic rabbit does not have the natural coat (camouflage) that a wild animal has, and therefore teaching a beagle to hunt a domestic animal most certainly does not encourage its hard wired instincts.

The Beagle is a scent hound with a natural hunting instinct and it is his genetic make-up to hunt. These hard wired instincts carry from generation to generation and therefore teaching a Beagle to hunt and chase domestic rabbits by scent is not necessary or useful because the domesticated rabbit is a descendant of the European Rabbit and does not share the same scent as our wild rabbits.

Ethical Alternatives in Lure coursing are honored and used by Beagles Unlimited and the American Kennel Club that do not involve the torture of sentient, intelligent creatures. The artificial lure is made to look like a live animal where the lure is dragged across the ground at a high rate of speed, with a set number or turns and changes in direction to simulate the movements of a live animal or “game.”

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS—DOG TRAINING— 

The use of a Live Rabbits in the training of greyhound racing dogs has been outlawed in most States because such action causes the animal to be tortured and tormented, causing unnecessary pain, suffering and death. It has even been outlawed to kill and use dead rabbits.
Torturing of an animal for the purpose of training hunting dogs would also appear to be needless knowing there are ethical alternatives and therefore making it a crime for any person to come within the scope of the statutes prohibiting cruelty to “animals.”

§ 2156 – Animal fighting venture:- Prohibition 

In this section – (1) the term “animal fighting venture” means any event, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, that involves a fight conducted or to be conducted between at least 2 animals for purposes of sport, wagering, or entertainment, except that the term “animal fighting venture” shall not be deemed to include any activity the primary purpose of which involves the use of one or more animals in hunting another.

The following section constitutes Mississippi’s anti-cruelty and animal fighting provisions, which were recently amended in 2011. The pertinent anti-cruelty law, § 97-41-1, states that any person who intentionally or with criminal negligence overrides, overdrives, overloads, tortures, torments, unjustifiably injures, deprives of necessary sustenance, food, or drink, cruelly beats, or needlessly mutilates any living creature, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 97-41-1. Cruelty to living creatures 

Except as otherwise provided in Section 97-41-16 for a dog or cat, if any person shall intentionally or with criminal negligence override, overdrive, overload, torture, torment, unjustifiably injure, deprive of necessary sustenance, food, or drink; or cruelly beat or needlessly mutilate; or cause or procure to be overridden, overdriven, overloaded, tortured, unjustifiably injured, tormented, or deprived of necessary sustenance, food or drink; or to be cruelly beaten or needlessly mutilated or killed, any living creature, every such offender shall, for every offense, be guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 97-41-2. Seizure of mistreated animal 

(1) All courts in the State of Mississippi may order the seizure of an animal by a law enforcement agency, for its care and protection upon a finding of probable cause to believe said animal is being cruelly treated, neglected or abandoned.

The Animal Welfare Act was signed into law in 1966. It is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. The event of hunting training is conducted by a Dealer of hunting dogs, considered a sport which involves the use of one or more animals hunting another and the rabbits are being used as Live Bait which directly relates to Animal fighting venture prohibition.

We the petitioners request the USDA and Marshall County, Mississippi to investigate proper licensing regarding Beagles on Fire i.e. Dealers license, License to sell animals online and Business License.

According to David Wring’s Website; his dogs are sold for $600 each and can be bought on the Internet, he also sells domestic rabbits. 
Credit Card Purchases: http://www.beaglesonfire.com/credit-card-purchases.html

Code of Federal Regulations Nov 6, 2013, Part 2, Subpart A – Licensing / 2.1 state that dealers selling over $500.00 with more than 4 breeding does requires licensing. 

Subpart A (c) (e) states failure of any person to comply with any provision of the Act, or any of the provisions of the regulations or standards in this sub-chapter, shall constitute grounds for denial of a license; or for its suspension or revocation by the Secretary, as provided in the Act

If the breeder has more than three breeding bitches and is selling the litters wholesale, he must be licensed under the Animal Welfare Act and must be in compliance with standards specified under the Animal Welfare Act. 

What happens when a rabbit is picked up by the scruff?
Their skin is made up of three layers, the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous. Just as in our human skin, rabbits’ skin is plentifully supplied with nerves, which allow them to feel your touch; temperature; and pain. The subcutaneous layer consists of fat, connective tissue, blood vessels and nerves. This layer helps hold the skin to the muscle tissue. When you lift a rabbit by the scruff the skin is torn loose from the muscle tissue. 

Go to the Website to CLICK ON THE PIC TO SEE THE FUN!
http://www.beaglesonfire.com/sight-chasing-with-dee-fire.html

Please bring positive change to Mississippi and stop this unnecessary barbaric cruelty.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

End of Petition Text

Petition Link:–http://www.change.org/petitions/marshal-county-government-aphis-usda-stop-the-torture-and-killing-of-live-domestic-rabbits-used-as-hunting-bait

Video: Bad To Chase Bunnies At The Rodeo?

One bunny had a broken jaw and was missing its tail. Three more wound up at the home of a Cottage Grove employee after a co-worker said her kids couldn’t keep them. “Video at end of this post”!

Heather Crippen of Red Barn Rabbit Rescue says that those were a few of the results of a previous “animal scramble” at the Cottage Grove Rodeo.

Bunny at recent animal scramble. Photo Scott Becstead/HSUS

Crippen started Red Barn with her daughter and runs the small rescue out of her farm in Creswell. She says with 50 rabbits already and a waiting list of 20 more, she wants to avoid more hurt and homeless bunnies. She has been asking the rodeo, which will take place July 12-13, to sponsor a different event for children.

Rabbits are fragile and the event stresses, sickens and even kills them, she says. In the animal scramble last year, and at a recent one at Myrtle Creek in Douglas County, rabbits were tossed out of trailers or pickup trucks and into an arena where hordes of children were unleashed to chase and catch them.

Red Barn’s video of the 2012 scramble shows bunnies getting stepped on and, Crippen says, paralyzed with fear. If the kids catch a rabbit at the event, they keep it. An attendee at the Myrtle Creek scramble was reported to have said to his child, “You going to catch us a rabbit? Going to help dad butcher it?”

Crippen has offered to donate money to the Cottage Grove Riding Club (CGRC) for a different, animal-friendly event, such as one that hides money and prizes inside plastic eggs. The rodeo and scramble are a fundraiser for the riding club. At press time, the rescue’s offer has not been accepted.

CGRC president Kelli Fisher says the event benefits the community and it gives children “the opportunity to experience raising their own animal.”

Red Barn has discovered that the scramble is subject to USDA regulations. “They have to get licensed and inspected,” Crippen says. “Many of the regulations are for the protection and safety of the rabbits.” And she says she was told the rodeo only recently applied for the license, so she’s not sure how they will get approved in time.

Crippen emailed the club in May, asking that this year’s event be removed, saying she has heard from PETA and other groups that want to protest the scramble. Crippen wrote that Red Barn has tried to discourage protest and “we prefer a professional approach to this disagreement.”

The riding club responded with a letter from attorney Milton E. Gifford, who alleges that Crippen’s email “threatened that there would be protests and picketing.” He tells her that she does “not have the right to videotape any portion of the rodeo” and calls her email “veiled threats” and says she will “be held personally liable for intentional interference with business relations.” Fisher says, “I and our board consider Red Barn and its members to be cruel, hurtful and a threat to our families.”

Scott Beckstead, Oregon director for the Humane Society of the United States, has been supporting Crippen’s efforts to end the scramble. He says…

“It is our position that this event is inherently cruel to the rabbits, and promotes unhealthy attitudes about pet ownership by awarding live animals as ‘prizes.’ Rabbits are delicate, sensitive little creatures, and turning them loose in a rodeo arena to be chased by a throng of children subjects them to an unreasonable risk of terror, shock and injury.”

Beckstead says that rabbits are the third most common animal at shelters and humane societies, and events such as the scramble strain those resources. Crippen and Beckstead have met with Faye Stewart, the Lane County commissioner from Cottage Grove, and Crippen spoke to the County Commission on June 4 about her concerns over the animal scramble. Fisher says CGRC is working with the local Humane Society chapter to improve the event.

Rabbit Scramble Event – South Douglas Rodeo

Published on 9 Jun 2013

**Filmed by a volunteer

South Douglas Rodeo’s “traditional” rabbit scramble is a youth event for children under the age of six years old. The children as lined up on the fence while rabbits are dumped into the arena from the bed of a truck. On go, the children sprint and chase down their prey, a living “prize” that will come with a small baggy of food and a sticker with care instructions.

Share your thoughts about the “Rabbit Scramble” and send your opinion to the South Douglas Rodeo.

Send letters to:
South Douglas Rodeo 
1170 North Myrtle Road
Myrtle Creek, OR 97457

Please consider supporting Red Barn Rabbit Rescue and making a donation.
www.redbarnrabbitrescue.org

News Link:-http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20130613/news-briefs/bad-chase-bunnies-rodeo

Gardai Probe After Rabbit Killed In Front of Children

GARDAI are investigating a case of alleged animal cruelty after a man killed a pet rabbit in front of children in a Dublin housing estate.

Local sources said the man used a stick to kill the rabbit and then buried it in the back garden.

But after the matter was reported by a neighbour, gardai dug up the rabbit as part of its investigation into cruelty.

The incident, on May 26, was also believed to have been reported to HSE social workers because the rabbit was killed in front of children.

“The rabbit is said to have bitten one of the children at the house, and the owner killed it with a stick because he felt he couldn’t trust the animal,” a neighbour said.

“But one neighbour who saw what was going on reported it to the gardai in Blanchardstown and the place was turned into a crime scene all of a sudden.

“The forensic guys came and dug up the rabbit and seized the stick it was supposed to have been killed with.

“I heard the dead animal was photographed and taken away for a post mortem.

“The HSE are said to be involved as well, because the children were there when the rabbit was killed,” he added. “It’s the talk of Castleknock.”

The residents of the house where the rabbit was killed declined to comment on the incident.

Gardai confirmed they are investigating an incident of animal cruelty at the address, but would not comment further.

VIOLENCE

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) said rabbits need to be handled carefully or they can scratch or bite.

“We are always horrified to hear of violence against pets, especially when that happens in front of children,” said DSPCA spokeswoman Gillian Bird.

“It is illegal to deliberately kill or maim an animal in a way that causes suffering.

“Animals that are to undergo a post mortem are usually brought to the vets’ laboratory in UCD, but it can take a week to 10 days to get results back,” she explained.

The DSPCA said it does not recommend rabbits as pets for very small children because they can revert to a feral state if not handled properly.

“If anyone does have a rabbit and finds they cannot home it properly, we are here to give free advice,” Ms Bird said.

News Link:–http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-probe-after-rabbit-killed-in-front-of-children-29319105.html

Woman guilty of animal cruelty fined and barred from owning more than one pet Read it on Global News: Global Edmonton | Woman guilty of animal cruelty fined and barred from owning more than one pet

The woman at the centre of one of the city’s most horrific cases of animal cruelty has been sentenced to a fine and strict restrictions.

Shelly Zenner pleaded guilty to causing an animal distress after more than a thousand rabbits were seized from her south side home.

The rabbits destroyed the home by chewing through wiring in the home and urinating everywhere.

Half of the rabbits were unable to be saved because they were too ill.

Both the crown and defence had requested the sentence that the judge handed down Monday.

In addition to the $8,500 fine, the court also employed a rarely used section of the animal protection act. It essentially allows the court to put Zenner on probation for the rest of her life.

She is not allowed to have any rabbits and she can only have one pet, either a dog or a cat that has been spayed or neutered. She is not allowed to go to a pet store unless she is buying food for that animal.

The crown says, given the nature of the case, the sentence is a good balance between the facts of the case with the mental health issues that are clearly there.

“The crown accepts the fact that animals are great companions and add a lot to people’s lives. At the same time, these animals are indefensible,” says Crown Attorney Christian Lim, “So this sentence sets a large deterrence factor. It is tempered with mercy and grace, in other words, it looked at the situation of the accused, her financial situation and mainly her health situation.”

Zenner’s mother and brother were also charged in this case, but those charges have been dropped.

Read it on Global News: Global Edmonton | Woman guilty of animal cruelty fined and barred from owning more than one pet

Man gets jail for abusing bulldogs

WESTMINSTER –

A Garden Grove man was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty for keeping five bulldogs in a feces-ridden environment at his home, where authorities also found six dead baby rabbits that apparently drowned in rain water and urine.

By accepting a plea deal offered by a judge Tuesday, Khuong Anh Nguyen avoided facing up to seven years and eight months in the Orange County Jail if he had been tried and convicted as charged, according to Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Nguyen offered the plea deal to Nguyen after a preliminary hearingthat began Friday and ended Tuesday at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

Khuong Anh Nguyen booking photo.

Nguyen, arrested Dec. 16, originally was charged with eight felony counts of animal abuse. The judge, however, found there was insufficient evidence on abuse of the rabbits and reduced the felony charges to a misdemeanor, according to Malone.

As a result of Nguyen’s plea, seven felony counts of cruelty to animals were dismissed, according to court records.

Officers with the Garden Grove Police Department were called to Nguyen’s home Dec. 14, 2011, after receiving a call alleging animal cruelty.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, officers found one female and four male bulldogs kept together in a cage that was fouled with feces.

The female bulldog, named Lola, had a child’s garment on with some elastic in it that cut off circulation to her legs, leading to rotting flesh, Malone said.

When officers found her, she was “cowering from the pain of the rubber bands cutting into her skin,” according to a statement from the D.A.’s Office.

One of Nguyen’s rabbits was found on top of a cage. Inside the cage, six newborn baby rabbits appeared to have died from drowning in rainwater and urine, the statement read.

The animals were taken from the home by O.C. Animal Care.

Nguyen received credit for three weeks served in custody and will have to serve about two more weeks behind bars, Malone said.

He was ordered to serve three years of informal probation and as a condition of his plea deal he no longer is allowed to own pets, Malone said.

Lola has been nursed back to health and is in the process of being adopted, Malone said.

News Link:-http://www.ocregister.com/news/nguyen-356489-malone-rabbits.html

Garden Grove man accused of animal abuse that killed 6 baby rabbits, neglected dogs

WESTMINSTER, Calif. — Prosecutors say a Garden Grove man faces charges of animal abuse for cruelty to dogs and rabbits, resulting in the death of six newborn rabbits.

The Orange County district attorney’s office says 35-year-old Khuong Anh Nguyen was charged with eight felony counts of animal abuse on Monday and is being held on $50,000 bail.

Police say five bulldogs, a rabbit and six dead rabbit newborns were found in Nguyen’s filthy backyard. The baby rabbits were found drowned in rain water and urine.

Police also found a female bulldog cowering in pain with her front legs bound tightly with rubber bands.

The live animals were taken from the home and the female bulldog was nursed back to health.

Nguyen faces more than seven years in jail if convicted. (“Good”)

News Link:-http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/4c465f9bf8b347edb34ba1531699e01b/CA–Baby-Rabbit-Deaths/

Rabbits killed, animal cruelty charge levied

A Mooresville man is facing an animal cruelty charges after deputies said he rammed his truck into a rabbit cage.

Timothy William Martin of Owens Farm Road, Mooresville was charged with cruelty to animals, and a second man, William Troy Martin of Shearers Road, Mooresville, was charged with damage to personal property.

According to reports, Deputy Cameron Kerley of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office responded to Owens Farm Road on Saturday to answer a call regarding damage to property.

Kerley reported that Timothy Martin ran his truck into a rabbit cage, killing two rabbits. William Martin was charged because he caused damage to a porch with a dump truck.

Timothy Martin received a $1,000 bond while bond for William Martin was set at $500.

News link:-http://www2.statesville.com/news/2012/may/02/rabbits-killed-animal-cruelty-charge-levied-ar-2234777/

Compassion in World Farming – Rabbits

Exposed: factory farming’s best kept secret

During a recent investigation, our team visited rabbit farms in France, Spain and Italy – where more than three quarters of all rabbit farming in the EU takes place.

Appalling suffering was documented; rabbits kept in tiny, bare wire cages, unable to move freely or express their natural desires to dig or hide. Rabbit faeces were built up under the cages – piled up to knee-height in places. And there were bins – full of dead rabbits.

Watch the ground breaking footage here. Please be aware it contains scenes of a distressing nature.

Compassion believes that if rabbits are to be farmed then we have a responsibility to ensure that they are kept in humane farming systems. All farm animals should be allowed to live a life free from pain and mental distress, and be able to express their natural behaviours.

Keeping thousands of rabbits in small, barren cages is completely unacceptable and we must stop the suffering. We banned the barren battery cage for hens and now we must do the same for rabbits.

Rabbit meat available in the UK, not labelled from a higher welfare system, is almost certainly inhumanely farmed. Please tell your friends not to buy it and help us spread awareness by sharing our film with your friends.

Help us start the Rabbit Revolution today

Currently, rabbits have no species specific protection under EU welfare laws and have been left out of an important part of the new EU slaughter regulations for 2013. This means these animals are totally vulnerable to the kind of horrific treatment we witnessed during our investigation. If you would like to see an end to this suffering then please help us with a donation today.

via Compassion in World Farming – Rabbits.

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT

 Warning: some people may find this account distressing

“The lid of a bin was opened and inside was a mass of dead rabbits, no more than a few weeks old.

This was my first experience of an intensive rabbit farm and it came as a shock.

I was on a rabbit farm in a region of Spain well known for farming rabbits. The farm was ramshackle and just about standing up. Unlike some of the more industrial units I’d visit later into this investigation, this place was part open-sided, with plastic sheets used instead of concrete walls. Wire mesh cages were strewn about the place and guard dogs barked continuously in the hope of actually getting fed.

Part-exposed to the sun were rows of battery cages, not dissimilar to those previously used for egg laying hens which are now banned across the EU.

Bundles of white fluff were spilling out from the wire mesh of one barren battery cage but on closer inspection I could see it was 8 baby rabbits. The next cage was the same and the next…in fact; there was cage after cage crammed full of baby rabbits.

Dripping urine and rabbit faeces had built up underneath the cages…..mounds piled up knee-high in several sections and they looked like they’d not been cleaned out for weeks.

To read the rest of this post visit:-Eye Witness Account – Compassion in World Farming

Juveniles arrested for animal cruelty

DELTONA –A turkey was killed by a juvenile at Deltona Middle School’s agricultural barn Sunday night, and three rabbits were stolen, one of which also died.

An investigation of the suspicious activity by Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies led to the charging of two juveniles with animal cruelty and the arrest of one adult for burglary-related crimes.

Deputies initially responded to the 100 block of Landmark Street, Deltona at about 7 p.m. when a citizen reported that there was suspicious activity involving animals screaming. The deputies found 26-year-old Jose Otero there skinning a dead turkey. He claimed that some unknown kids had given it to him. However, his story was falsified when deputies found the involved juveniles nearby and also learned that a few animals were missing from the middle school. The real story was that Otero went with three juveniles to Deltona Middle School, on Enterprise Road. The boys jumped the fence while Otero stayed outside. One of the juveniles, an 11-year-old, then used a stick to poke at a turkey in its cage. Next, he released the turkey and chased it around with a hoe until he bludgeoned it to death. Otero then told the boy to give him the turkey.

Once the 11-year-old tossed the carcass to Otero over the fence, he returned to the cages and along with a 14-year-old and an 8-year-old boy, took three rabbits. They then all left school property, but as they were walking away, the rabbit 11-year-old held died. The boys didn’t reveal to deputies how it died, but they said that 11-year-old threw it in a nearby lake afterwards. They continued to the home on Landmark Street where the boys stored the remaining two rabbits and Otero started cutting up the turkey.

Deputies found the two living rabbits and returned them to the school. Otero was charged with burglary and petty theft and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach. The 11-year-old and 14-year-old were both charged with burglary, grand theft and animal cruelty. Both boys were released to relatives. The 8-year-old boy was not charged because deputies believed he had been coerced by the others.