University will kill bunnies March 1, despite good rescue effort

Help us reach our signature goal before the killling begins again March 1st, 2011.  The Battle of the UVic bunnies is not over.  After volunteers successfully rescued the majority of the abandoned pets (Nearly 900 rabbits!!) to sanctuaries, the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada recently announced plans to kill any abandoned pet rabbits that they find on the campus after March 1.  Volunteers, under the TRACS umbrella, have delivered hundreds of rabbits to the Wild Rose Rescue Ranch in Texas.  All spays and neuters are being paid for by FurBearer Defenders!!  

In order to save the rabbits and move them to their new home sanctuary, a government wildlife permit is required.  Our Wildlife Permit to move the rabbits expires on March 31, 2011. We have asked for it to be extended, as the University says the killing of rabbits will resume March 1, 2011.  Prior to government approval of the permit, the university killed over 100 innocent bunnies in May of 2010.  By signing this petition, you are showing your support for the continuation of the rabbit rescue, and sending a message to UVic and the local municipal governments that killing abandoned pets and their offspring is unacceptable and inhumane.  By signing this petition, you also support the municipalities changing their bylaws to stop the sale of unsterilized rabbits and to strengthen and enforce the penalties for dumping unwanted rabbits. You can further help the UVic bunnies, by donating to help with transportation, ongoing care, and food costs of these adorable innocent creatures:  http://www.tracs-bc.ca/uvicbun.html (tax-deductible donation in Canada), TRACS for Texas-bound Bunnies (on Facebook), http://wildroserescueranch.com/
We the undersigned wish to support the continuation of the ongoing rabbit rescue efforts at the University of Victoria, BC, CANADA.  We are asking the university to set aside plans to kill the abandoned pet rabbits and their offspring on the campus after March 1 to allow the rescuers to take them all to the safety of the sanctuaries.  The volunteers have already saved nearly 900 rabbits since August, 2010 - clearly a success by any measure.  Rescued bunnies are being spayed and neutered.  The university has always maintained that it has the funds to kill the rabbits, but what about diverting the funds to help save their lives?  The volunteers have proven that the rescue operation is working and, with the support of the university and the local municipalities, we can achieve 100% success!  Our current Wildlife Permit to relocate the rabbits to the Wild Rose Rescue Ranch in Whitehouse, Texas is valid until March 31, 2011.  We have requested an extension of the permit from the provincial Ministry of the Environment.  UVic must consider that there will still be rabbits on campus after March 1, especially if students have been keeping them in their residences and there may be baby bunnies in underground burrows that have yet to emerge.  When the term ends, potentially more bunnies will be left on the grounds as the students return to their home towns.  We are asking for a well-thought-out long-term plan where UVic will work with the rabbit rescue groups to remove any rabbits on campus without the administration threatening to kill them.  This is the best plan to restore UVic's reputation and to show compassion to these discarded bunnies.  Additionally, to prevent future unwanted rabbit populations at the university and other public domains, we ask that the municipalities of Victoria, Saanich, and Oak Bay update their bylaws to stop the sale of unsterilized rabbits and also to increase the penalties for dumping unwanted rabbits.  (We understand that the City of Victoria is currently working on a new bylaw plan.  Thank you!)  The volunteers at TRACS (The Responsible Animal Care Society) are committed to helping save all of the UVic bunnies.  We ask that you continue supporting our efforts to achieve that goal.  Thank you for working with us and we look forward to continued success to help us relocate the rabbits to safety and make the campus bunny-free in the Year of the Rabbit.
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