DON’T buy your child a rabbit for Easter – that’s the plea from staff at Wythall Animal Sanctuary who fear ‘pester power’ will result in a glut of the furry animals landing on its doorstep this month.
The centre’s Lena McGahey says all too often a pet bunny can turn into a problem once a child gets tired of looking after it – normally within six weeks.
“Baby rabbits are just too readily available around Easter time but children can soon lose interest in them,” said Lena.
And despite the sanctuary being on the cusp of its 50th anniversary she says it’s a problem that simply does not go away.
“Too many people buy pets without researching how to look after them or the demands they will make,” she added.
She said this was particularly true of dogs, where people bought trendy or status animals without realising their natural instncts or the level of care they needed.
“Too many pets are bred for profit and sold on the internet,” she said. “The trouble is you have no history of the animal and no comeback if a problem develops.”
The sanctuary relies on donations to keep going, and with capacity for up to 600 animals – from cats and dogs to ponies through to ferrets and even a cockerel – there’s a lot of mouths to feed.
It also runs a re-homing service for people looking for a pet to cherish forever.
“We do home checks and with dogs people are encouraged to take them for walks before taking them home – we also offer follow up support too,” said Lena.
There are a number of ways to support the centre from sponsorship deals through to donations and adoptions. For more details call 01564 823288 or visit http://wythallanimalsanctuary.org.uk/
This month Wythall Animal Sanctuary, which was established by the Davies family nearly 50 years ago is announcing a new look and name – moving from Sanctuary to Rescue to better reflect the urgent work they now do.
